Art of War
by PurpleColors
Summary: Eight months ago, Jason Todd made his return. Eight months ago, Jason Todd showed himself to be a completely different person compared to the boy who wore the Robin suit. And eight months ago, he disappeared again without a trace. But, now he is back and he's ready to start a war using one of the most important things to Batman as an example. His new Robin, Tim Drake.
1. Explosion

**AN:** Hello there! Welcome to my very first attempt of a Young Justice story. So first a few things, the story is a bit different from the cartoon. And by different I mean very small changes, such as some ages are changed and things like that. You'll know the differences, but I don't think it will be anything you guys will mind too much. I really hope everyone enjoys it and I love reviews so leave those of course!

Oh! And by the way, the story is meant to take place about eight months after the events of Under the Red Hood! :)

 **Summary:** Eight months ago, Jason Todd made his return. Eight months ago, Jason Todd showed himself to be a completely different person compared to the boy who wore the Robin suit. And eight months ago, he disappeared again without a trace. But, now he is back and he's ready to start a war using one of the most important things to Batman as an example. His new Robin, Tim Drake.

Chapter One

" _Explosion"_

It was _heavy._

His eyes. His chest. His everything was so heavy, it felt like maybe he had somehow ended up on Jupiter and his weight had increased by a million pounds. An exaggeration, but the point was across. He hadn't felt like this kind of weight in a long time and it didn't take him long to come to the realization he was somewhere he shouldn't be. If the pain in his head was any indicator, he was probably with someone he didn't want to be with.

Tim Drake's brain slammed against his skull like a hammer trying to escape the bone. He shivered. It was cold, wherever he was. Or maybe it was just _him._ He didn't feel hurt though, just his head and his difficulty focusing. Nothing else seemed to be injured, but he hadn't tried to move yet. He could hardly open the cinder bricks that he called eyes.

" _Think, Tim,"_ He thought silently to himself, shifting. Maybe he wasn't even moving, but he was trying. Why wasn't he moving? Why wouldn't his eyes open?

His first thought that came to mind was one simple snap of a memory.

" _Drugged."_

Tim wanted to groan. He remembered now. He was on a mission with the Young Justice. They were going to stop a drug shipment that one of Black Mask's groups was bringing into the city. It was supposed to be _so_ easy. Easy to the point they didn't bothering splitting up into groups. They all went on their own accord. Following a plan of course, but their own accord nonetheless. Tim was…excited to say the least. It was rare he wasn't put into the safest group possible, under the watchful eyes of Dick Grayson.

Finally, almost as if by chance, his eyes opened.

He felt someone tugging at his arms and maybe that's what drew his attention and gave him the extra push he needed to open his eyes. He could already tell his mask was on his face, but his belt was gone. His hands were restrained behind his back and a sudden blight of fear hit him. Hands bound. No belt. Not good.

His eyes trained on a figure in front of him, illuminated by the slight light from the ceiling. Were they in a warehouse? They had to be…there were shipping boxes everywhere. What warehouse? Where was his com anyway?

Didn't do him much help if he didn't know.

" _So stupid. So stupid for getting caught, Tim. This is why you never get to do things alone."_

When his vertigo finally settled he masked eyes came to the realization he was looking at a man wearing a giant red helmet in front of him.

And he knew it not to be just any man. He knew this one. He knew this…This person. If you could call him a person anymore. He was something his adoptive father had failed and something that had slipped through him fingers like sand. Tim's heart immediately picked up in pace. This meeting was never meant to happen. In the eight months that had passed since this person's return, Bruce had kept a very watchful eye on Tim just to make sure this meeting _never_ happened. Not while Tim was so young. Still only thirteen and still learning.

Tim croaked without really thinking about what he was going to say…

"J-Jason…Jason Todd."

It sounded pitiful and hardly awake. The man with the helmet looked up, staring into Tim's mask through his own. It still felt cold and Tim wondered what kind of expression his predecessor was wearing. His _should be_ dead predecessor.

The guy who had dug himself out six feet under. Had come back from the grave at the hands of the Lazarus Pit. That predecessor he had admired and now had him drugged and restrained in a warehouse.

A feral chuckle escaped the man at the sound of his name and Tim managed to lift his head on his own. He was definitely in a warehouse. He was definitely handcuffed to a pole. And he was definitely screwed.

After the chuckling stopped, he held up Robin's yellow belt. Tim watched with a bewildered expression as Jason Todd pressed the distress button built into the belt, causing it to blink red. There was a pregnant silence until finally he spoke…

"He hid you good, Replacement. Real good. Almost gave up trying to corner you."

Tim's mind raced. He tried to remember everything he could from Jason's file. Beaten. Killed in a explosion. Revived by the Lazarus Pits at the hands of Ra's al Ghul. Returned to Gotham and eight months ago, reigned terror on the drug world. Caused hell for Bruce and Dick those eight months ago.

And…Becoming his fear, he took up the name Red Hood.

Tim's eyebrows furrowed as he realized everything had a heavy haze over it from his blurry vision. He murmured, "H-he said…To stay away."

"Who, me or you?"

Tim shrugged. He didn't know.

Jason leaned forward, getting inches from Tim's face. The child tried to push his head back, but the pole wasn't going to allow that. Jason said in a low tone, "He tried to keep you out of reach. When I saw the Old-Man for the first time in two years I told him I'd be coming for you. Didn't he tell you that?"

Tim shook his head. Bruce hadn't, but he couldn't say he was very surprised.

Jason nodded, "Well." He began to dig through his pocket and pulled out a com and stuck it in Tim's ear, causing the boy to flinch heavily. "Why don't you say your last few words to Dickie-Bird?"

Tim felt confusion threaten to overtake him again until Jason stood to full height and stepped aside. The teen's eyes widened greatly behind the mask when his eyes settled on what seemed to be a makeshift bomb, counting down from sixty.

Tim gave one desperate pull at his restraints and asked Jason dumbly, "What are you doing?"

Jason kneeled down once more, gripping Tim's chin and hissing in his ear…

"Starting a _war_."

Tim felt Jason flip the switch on the com in his ear before standing and walking away. Tim's heart lept as he glanced at the bomb and heard a door slam shut. A scream rose in his throat as he shouted towards the man, "Come back!"

He wasn't sure why he was trying. Obviously, Jason wanted this. He wanted Tim dead. He wanted to incinerate him in some kind of fiery explosion and Tim couldn't…He was trained for panic. But, he was child. A kid. And kids don't want to die. Especially not at the hands of their own. Jason Todd was going to be Tim's executor. That was enough to make him want to scream louder than he had.

Suddenly, a voice on the other side of the com asked quickly, "Robin? Is that you?"

Dick. Dick Grayson.

He had heard Tim's scream after Jason had switched the com on.

Tim let out a shaky breath. A few tears escaped his eyes as hope welled in his chest. His voice was quaky, "Yes…G-God, Nightwing, listen-"

He was cut off by Nightwing speaking quickly, sounding a bit more panicked than Tim himself, though that was hard to believe. Nightwing didn't panic. He never did, but right now he sounded completely…Not himself. And Tim would be worried had there not been a bomb in front of him, counting down his life in seconds. A bomb placed there by Jason-freaking-Todd. Their brother. Their dead Robin.

Nightwing rambled, "It's alright. We got your distress signal and the team and I are on our way."

"You don't understand-" Tim tried to speak, but again was interrupted by his brother's hysteria.

"Are you hurt? Do you have any injuries of any kind, Robin? And don't try to sugar coat things like you always do, you've been missing for hours."

Tim's breath quickened as his body went into survival mode and he began to pull sadistically at the handcuffs. He was like a wild animal. A coyote stuck in a trap with the urge to chew his own arm off.

Nightwing must have heard his breathing because he said quickly, "Don't worry, Robin. We're on our way-"

"Nightwing you don't understand!" Tim screamed suddenly. "There's a bomb right in front of me!"

There was silence. A breath. And more silence. Tim knew it was no more than a second of silence, but it seemed to drag on forever. He wanted to scream at Dick. To shout at him to talk, but it had only been a _second._ A second, but an eternity compiled into a hellish nightmare.

Finally, his older brother mustered a quiet, "What?"

Tim broke. It completely pooled over as the true realization hit him. He had less than a minute to be saved or to get out on his own. Either way, the tidal wave of emotion he had no control over hit him and tears begins to pour from his eyes.

A scream ripped its way out, "There's a bomb and it's counting down!"

Dick seemed to ponder on this, but it was far more than pondering. It was panic mode. It was missing a step walking down the stairs. A heart leap that tore through his chest and Tim couldn't keep it in. The tears kept going and he knew…deep down this was how it was going to end. Jason Todd would be his downfall. How ironic.

"Is anyone in there with you?" Dick asked quickly, seeming to come back to his senses.

Tim shakes his head as if he brother can see him, "No…He left."

"Who was it," Dick snapped tightly. "Did you see his face?"

" _Didn't have to,"_ Tim thought, but reprimanded himself for the thoughts of sarcasm at a time like this. Maybe not now, but later. If he lived, later. There was the incentive. Pocket it and save it for later.

Tim swallowed and jolted, "It was Jason, Dick! It was Jason!"

Dick chokes on this, but gives no further proof of his rage that Tim knows is setting in. Nightwing was going into full out Batman mode as he questioned, sounding enraged, "How much time do we have?"

Tim finally looks at the clock. The clock he has been dreading to look at because this was his lifeline. And it was about to be cut by those three creepy women in the Greek myth. They were going to snip it and they knew the exact moment to do it. His eyes widened when he saw the timer and oh God…Not much…

"Thirty seconds," Tim said and before he could think he began to thrash even madder than before. He tugged and ripped at the restraints, determined not to become a fried crisp of human flesh and bone. Nightwing must have heard his sudden resistance because he quickly began to speak once more…

"Robin, listen to me," Dick snapped forcefully. "What is binding you?"

Tim swallowed thickly past the lump in his throat as he stopped moving. He wanted to cry more but here Dick was on the other line and even if he was about to die he didn't want to cry in front of his older brother.

"Handcuffs," Tim all but whimpered.

"Listen carefully. I need you to lean your body heavily on something between you and the cuffs."

Tim moved mechanically, pressing the metal chains on either side of the pole holding him. He rambled, "Got it."

Dick then took a deep breath. God, every moment felt so long for Tim. His life was being counted out before his eyes and every second mattered. It made him slightly frustrated. He didn't want to die. He was a kid, of course he didn't want to die. Dying was…Permanent.

Well, unless you're Jason. But, Tim wasn't Jason in any shape or form.

"Now, yank. Sharp and hard. I want you to do it over and over again."

Tim was slightly confused about how this was any different from him thrashing but he did it. Maybe it was the technique or the sheer force he placed on that _one damn spot._ But, they broke. They broke with a satisfying crack and Tim let out a breathy laugh as he pulled his arms around and looked at them. He was free.

So to speak.

Tim's eyes met the clock.

Five seconds.

He flew to his feet though he knew the door was too far for him to get out in time. Instead, he turned a corner, hurling himself behind a cinder block wall, covering his head, and falling into a fetal position of sorts. Maybe…Maybe it would help.

Though it may have been futile.

He heard the final few beeps of the clock and then…

 _Nothing._

* * *

Dick couldn't describe this panic. It was probably something very similar to what Bruce felt the night he rushed to save Jason, and yet was too late to do so. It was that night. Except Dick was living it. He was the one who was too late as Megan landed the bioship and he ran out, masked eyes blazing fire as the warehouse before him went up in flames. They were close enough to feel the heat, but not close enough to feel the debris.

"ROBIN!" Dick screamed. It was shrill and he heard the others rushing off of the ship behind him. His chest dropped and ached all at once. Tim…God Tim…

There's no way. No fucking way.

His feet moved without his permission as he ran towards the flames, but instead of entering the fire, he was met with the strong arms of Conner. The other hero held him back as Barbara grabbed his right arm that reached for _anything_ in his belt to get the meta off of him.

The other team members skidded to a stop behind him and he could hear Megan's audible gasp and Bart's quiet, "No."

"Let go of me, Superboy!" Nightwing shouted, squirming in the hold.

Barbara interrupted the tantrum with her soft words, "You can't just run in there. We need to wait for the fire to die down."

"Robin could be dead by then!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. No, this would not be the way another one of his brothers died. And Tim definitely wasn't going to die at the hands of Jason. Why would Jason do this? Tim was a child. He had nothing to do with Jason's life or dead. It was completely unnecessary and Jason wasn't one to kill unless it was necessary.

But, he killed. And that was the point. Jason wasn't who he was when Dick knew him, Dick knew that much. But…Putting Tim through something like this…

Suddenly, he was released when the fire had let go. There were still charred leftovers burning, but for the most part the team could approach without risking themselves. There was no way…No fucking way…

"M'gann!" Dick shouted, causing the Martian to jump. "Sense for him, try to find his mind."

Megan placed two index fingers on both temples before shutting her eyes tightly. There was a long pause before she opened them again, this time they were brimming with tears. She whispered just loud enough for the others to hear, "Nightwing…It's quiet. I can't hear him."

"You _have_ to," Dick breathed, beginning to dig through the debris. He could feel the heat burning through his gloves and into his hands as his teammates watched on in horror. Even Batgirl stood stark still.

Not another one. Not another Robin. Not another brother. Not another teammate. It wasn't fucking fair. And with every burn that seeped through to his hands he felt less and less relief. He needed to find Tim.

He was shouting his name, over and over. Sometimes he even called Tim and though there were still members of the team that didn't know who the hell Tim was, they could assume this was the exception to the Batclan's name rule.

Suddenly, as if God himself had allowed it, Dick saw the yellow underside of a cape protruding from the debris. He moved instantly, shoving past beams and other unnecessary parts to get to where his brother lay. He was still. Completely still and Jesus Christ…the fucking blood was all over his face.

He moved the rubble away from Tim, desperately placing a shaky hand against Tim's throat.

A pulse

Weak. Barely there.

But, there was a pulse.

Dick's eyes quickly found his teammates from where they had yet to move in their stupor. He looked at Megan before shouting, "Get the bioship! He's alive!"

And with that last order he lifted the child into his arms and rushed towards the ship…

" _You're going to be ok,"_ Dick thought silently. He wasn't sure if he was directing the thought to his brother or if he was trying to reassure himself. _"You're not going anywhere, Timmy."_

" _Not like Jason."_

* * *

When they landed at the mountain, Dick was the first one off the ship. Tim was in his arms, his cape wrapped tightly around him as Dick ran towards the mouth of the cave that would take him to the med-wing.

His feet echoed down the hall and the feet of another person. If he had to guess it would be Barbara. He snapped behind him, "Did you inform Black Canary we were coming? To get trauma ready?"

"Yes," She answered. Ok, obviously Barbara at this point.

Dick turned the corner and ran through the glass doors where he could already see Canary standing beside of a med table. Her eyes widened when she saw the boy in Dick's arms and she immediately grabbed a pair a scissors from the tray.

Dick laid the child down on the table and Dinah asked breathlessly, "What happened?"

"An explosion," Dick's eyes moved to Barbara who stood in the doorway. "Go contact Batman. Now."

She nodded and rushed away; obviously happy there was something she could do to help.

Dick looked back at Dinah and found her beginning to use the scissors to cute away Tim's suit. Dick almost had to look away at the sight of a large shard of shrapnel in his brother's abdomen and the bruises already beginning to form around his ribcage. Dick swallowed thickly looking at Dinah as if hoping she would say something like, "It's not as bad as it looks."

Yet, she didn't speak. She herself looked just as concerned as Dick.

That was unsettling.

Dick felt the tears well up in his eyes and he immediately moved to Tim's head, pushing his blood matted hair back off of his forehead. He said quietly, "Please don't die, Tim. Please don't die."

Canary was moving. Dick heard the slight beeping of a heart monitor as she began to hook it up and afterward she began the IV. She spoke in an uneven tone, "His blood pressure is dropping. He's losing too much blood."

Dick made a distressed sound before his eyes fixed themselves on the shrapnel. He said quickly, "Then take it out and stitch it up."

Canary huffed, "It isn't that simple, Nightwing. I can't perform the surgery alone and you don't know how to do it."

"Then _show_ me."

"No," She replied. "That's too much of a risk on someone with these kinds of injuries. We'll have to wait for Batman to arrive. In the meantime, we'll try to stop the bleeding form the more superficial wounds."

Before she can grab the sutures however, Dick grabs her wrist. Her eyes rose to meet his masked ones and he said in a desperate tone…

"Don't let my brother die, Dinah."

Canary's response was short…

"I'll do my best."

* * *

Barbara ran down the hall, her feet not able to carry her fast enough to the main room of the mountain. She was breathing heavily, her heart slamming against her chest at a thousand miles per hour. Bruce. Contact Bruce. Get him here. Save Tim. Save Robin. Save the boy. The important boy who found out who Batman and Robin were. The bright boy.

When she finally made it to the situation room, all of the other team members were standing around in silence and shock. It was obvious none of them knew what to do. None of them. Team members had been hurt. Team members had _died._ But, it never got easier to handle. They never could shake that sense of fear that enveloped all of them when someone got seriously injured. It wasn't something you got used to.

Barbara didn't speak to the others and immediately pulled up the communication screen, dialing Batman's own communicator. She swallowed, glancing at the others before looking back up at the screen. Licking her lips, she prayed for him to answer…

Suddenly, the screen lit up with Batman cowl, his eyes narrowed at the screen. Barbara almost gasped. He knew. He didn't know what had happened but he knew _something_ had happened. Did he feel it? Did he feel Tim almost die? Was he not sure of what the feeling was? Did he recognize it from the night Jason died?

His voice was gruff when he asked, "What is it, Batgirl?"

Barbara tore. She completely tore just as his question met her mind. A heavy knot formed in her throat and suddenly it felt like the world was on her shoulders.

It was _heavy._

She fought down a strong sob before she said to the screen, "Batman…It's Robin."

Unable to find the correct thing to say she shut her mouth and something flashed across Batman's face. Fear. Which was rare for the Batman, but she saw it, and the others probably did too. He snapped suddenly, "Tell me."

"There was an explosion," She cried, not able to fight it down any long. "There was an explosion and he's hurt really bad."

There wasn't a pause. Not a breath before Batman said, "ETA five minutes." And the screen went black.

Barbara covered her mouth, backing away from the screen as a sob ripped through her chest. She felt Megan's arms wrap tightly around her in a comforting embrace, but it was still there. This panic that was setting in. Tim…God, Tim he couldn't just _die._ Not like this. He can't just die like this.

She buried her face in Megan's shoulder.

 _Not like this._

* * *

 _I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! I'd love to hear your responses! :)_


	2. And Counting

AN: And here is good ol' chapter two! I hope you all enjoy it! Let me know what you think in the reviews, I love to read them and constructive criticism is always welcome. I'm constantly looking to improve. :)

Chapter Two

" _And Counting"_

Batman refused to allow the emotional pandemonium to set in.

He was Batman. He had dealt with worse. He had lost a sidekick before, but here he was, reliving it. Maybe he shouldn't have allowed Tim to join him that time ago. He shouldn't have let another child be placed in the line of fire. He shouldn't have been so selfish and stupid. But…He had. And now Tim might be dying. He might be dead.

Bruce gripped the wheel of the Batwing as he flew it into the mountain and landed it beside Megan's bioship. Every muscle inside of him screamed with rage and worry as he climbed out, though he tried to keep it masked under his cowl as he entered the main part of the mountain and headed towards the situation room where he knew he'd find the children.

Finally, he came to a halt and without a moment's notice all of the children's eyes were on him. He fought down his fear. He was too prideful to show it. He had to be calm. He had to be calm for Tim and Dick and Barbara. They were the ones who needed him at this moment. And when his masked eyes met Barbara's tear filled ones, he knew immediately this was something to be worried about and maybe he shouldn't be trying so hard to fight his emotions

But, then again the tears were just further proof that he needed to.

He approached the red headed girl and ordered in a firm, yet gentle tone, "Bring me to him."

Barbara nodded quickly, wiping her face and beginning to lead Batman down the halls of the mountain once more, going towards the large glass doors of the medical wing. Tim would be there. Bruce would see the extent of his injuries. And things would be final. Tim would either survive or he would die and Bruce would go through that same turmoil that he had when Jason died.

As soon as he entered the glass doors, he saw both of his sons. One was leaning over the other, worry etched into his features. The other was unconscious, but he didn't look peaceful. Blood covered him and his exposed abdomen showed the gore of his injuries. Bruce looked at Black Canary with a passive expression that hid everything he felt at the moment and the anger that bubble in the pit of his stomach.

Canary sighed with relief before saying, "I need your help to remove the shrapnel from his abdomen."

She seemed to already have everything set up and Bruce gave one last glance at Dick who was pale, pushing Tim's hair back over and over again. He then looked at Barbara who stood in the doorway, terror carved inside her eyes.

Bruce moved forward, pulling his cowl from his head so that he could have a better look at the wound. Canary handed him a rag and asked, "You know what to do?"

Bruce gave a sharp nod and Canary pulled the shrapnel from the boy's abdomen, immediately causing a flood of blood to pour from him. Bruce placed the rag over the wound, but he could hear the machine Tim was attached to begin to scream in panic. Canary said, "Blood pressure is dropping."

Then…Flat line.

Bruce moved almost at the speed of lightening, moving forward to begin chest compressions. He attempted to push Dick out of the way, saying, "Nightwing, you have to _move._ "

"No!" Dick shouted, grabbing Tim but his shoulders tightly. Fear. No. Dick's mind whirled and the room went blurry as he tried to stay at his brother's side, even with Bruce shoving him away. He felt Barbara's soft hands tugging him from the room but he couldn't just leave. Tim needed him. He needed his brother…

Once out of the room, the glass doors shut and Dick slumped against them, sliding to the floor. He watched his adoptive father and Canary work, tears slipping from his eyes as Barbara joined him on the floor, hugging him from behind.

Set one of chest compressions…Nothing…

Dick began to beat on the glass and he screamed, "Don't you fucking die, Tim! Don't you fucking dare!"

Barbara's grip on him tightened as he repeatedly slammed his gloved hand into the glass.

Two sets…Nothing.

Dick saw so many things flash before him. The day Tim came to live with them. The tears at the Drake's funeral. Blood pooling from Jack Drake's chest. Jack Drake who looked so much like Tim in this moment with Tim's abdomen gushing blood. Tim being too small for Jason's old suit when he tried it on. Tim grinning when he finally got his own. Dick's terror the first time Tim got hurt on patrol. Dick beating the shit out of the guy who had hurt him.

Dick shut his eyes as one memory settled. One on the day of the anniversary of Jason's death…

 _The team was gathered around the Robin memorial silently. It was customary, of course, to observe the day that their teammate had passed. The same had gone for Tula on_ _ **her**_ _day but today was_ _ **Jason's**_ _day. Dick was gripping Tim close to him, peering at the others who had their heads lowered. He then looked down at his brother through his sunglasses and saw the boy._

 _Tim looked amazed._

 _Not mournful like the others but simply amazed._

 _Dick wasn't sure if it was because of the fact Tim had never been this close to the team, or what, but even with his sunglasses on, Tim could see how wide his eyes were. Dick poked him softly on the forehead and asked, "What is it?"_

 _Tim said quietly, "It's beautiful."_

 _Dick's eyebrows furrowed. Tim obviously wasn't being morbid. He was a child still; maybe he didn't get the situation. Dick murmured, "How so?"_

 _Tim looked at him and replied, "They all loved him. You loved him. And even though he's gone…All these people in this room make him feel alive."_

 _Dick blinked hard._

" _No one is really dead if they have all this left behind."_

But, then a third set.

And he saw the heart monitor jump to life.

Dick shut his eyes tightly and breathed, "Thank you. Thank you." He leaned his head against the glass, the anxiety pooling out of him and he knew it must be hitting Barbara just as hard. She was holding on so tight. She was being so strong though. No sobs. Just tears. But, she was fighting this. Why couldn't he be that way?

Dick whispered quietly, "Barbara…he almost…"

"I know," Barbara said in response. "But, he didn't."

 _He didn't._

* * *

Jason was quick to jump into his current safe house. He threw himself through the window of the apartment. It was already almost empty, his duffle bag packed and waiting for him on the couch. This had been a temporary place. No one knew its location, yes, but he wasn't really willing to risk staying and getting hunted down by the Bat himself.

Jason threw his bag over his shoulder and went to the front door, leaving the keys under the mat for the landlord who would be coming for them in the morning. He ripped his helmet and mask from his face, stuffing them into the bag, before rushing down the hall and the stairs, nearly trampling an old woman who was carrying her cat up.

He was out the front of the building within seconds, breathing in the cold Gotham air. January was harsh to say the least. The harshest one he had experienced in years. His eyes scanned the street before they settled on a black car, windows tinted so darkly no one could see the occupants. But, he knew they were there.

Without a second thought, he rushed the car, ripping the door open and throwing himself inside. The driver sped away from the curb and the woman next to him sighed at his rush. Jason looked up at the woman, seeing bright green eyes and red hair.

Kori Anders.

"Hello Jason," She greeted him gently. "Were you successful?"

Jason grinned, "Very. Why do you think I'm in such a rush? The Bats will be pissed."

"So…you did it then?" The driver asked and Jason looked at the back of the head of the Original Roy Harper. Arsenal. Whatever he called himself. Jason preferred just Roy and he also preferred him over that damned clone.

"You just heard me," Jason grunted, rolling his eyes.

Roy licked his lips, "Are you ok?"

Jason's eyebrows furrowed at that. Was he ok? What kind of question was that? A stupid one if you asked him, but Roy always had this assumption that Jason still had some attachment to his family. Something more than just vengeance for not killing the Joker.

No, there was nothing more there than just hate, but of course Roy was a dick and didn't listen.

"I'm fucking fine," Jason snapped in response. "You just drive. We need to get off of the streets before Bats finds us or worse, Dickie-Bird."

Roy gave a grunt of annoyance but still, he did as he was told.

Jason looked at Kori who was looking out the window silently. She didn't talk much, but she was a badass teammate to have, that was for sure. She had been a part of the Titans, a team formed by Dick when he decided to go solo as Nightwing and searched for his own city to protect. But, after Jason's death, Dick returned to the Young Justice, leaving the Titans. Without Dick to lead, they disbanded and Kori couldn't quite find a place to fit in.

That was, until Jason found her.

He grinned at the thought. Yep, she was definitely a badass.

Jason then turned his head, peering out his own window before saying, "We still got work to do."

* * *

Dick was woken to a gentle shake of his shoulder.

His vision was blurred and immediately he found he had a crick in his neck from sleeping straight up in the chair outside of the med wing. He groaned slightly, blinking several times before everything finally came into focus. He had to push his matted hair out of his face just to see Barbara standing above him, wearing her civvies. Dick licked his chapped lips before asking, "What is it?"

"We can see Tim," She responded in a quiet voice.

Dick stood almost immediately at the words, the world whirling a moment before things focused again. He hurried down the hall, walking into the glass doors. He could feel Batman's presence in the corner of the room, though he ignored it. Batman was always like a shadow.

No, he was focused on the slumbering boy in front of him.

Tim was pale, a tube shoved down his throat. He was wearing a white hospital gown, but he looked cleaner. The blood was gone from his hair and face. They must have been able to wash him, which was a good sign. A stitched gash spread over his right eyebrow and his right eye was blackened.

But, looking clean and without blood…He looked like Tim again, just sick looking. Dick glanced at Batman before moving towards his brother and standing as close to the bed as he could possibly get without jolting the wires hooked into the boy's frame.

Dick took Tim's scratched hand into his own and whispered quietly, "You're going to be ok, Timmy."

"He will be," Batman affirmed. "But, it will be a long time before he is fully recovered."

There was a long pause before he continued, "I've never seen such injuries on someone who managed to survive."

Dick knew immediately what Bruce was talking about. Jason's injuries. But, Jason…His insides turned to mush. What had happened differently with Tim? Dick's eyes traveled down Tim's small body before settling on his ankle that was wrapped in a bandage. Must not be broken…But, something was wrong with it.

He then looked back at the child's bruised face and said, "He's strong…He'll be ok."

Batman looked at both Barbara and Dick before saying forcefully, "Now, I want to know exactly what happened."

Barbara gave a protest, "Now?"

Dick grunted in response, quieting the other. He then spoke, "Tim got separated from us on a mission to take down some of Black Mask's heroin trade. Then he just…vanished out of thin air. About four hours later his distress signal contacted us and he told us he was handcuffed in front of a bomb by-"

Dick cut himself off suddenly, not able to say it. It made his stomach sick with rage and hurt. Betrayal now lived in his bones and he wanted to throw a table. Maybe he would have if Tim wasn't so close.

Dick gave a glance to Barbara whose eyes were wide and watery. Bruce's voice gave no leniency as he snapped, "Who?"

Dick shut his eyes, "By _him_ , Bruce. By Jason."

Bruce became silent and still. It was a long moment and Dick thought maybe this finally broke him. Maybe he was finally angry enough to show his true emotions. But, then again…He was always wrong about that kind of thing. He stared at his adoptive father until the Batman finally spoke…

"Where did the explosion occur?"

Dick sighed at that. Of course. No emotion. Clinical like always, even when it came to his family he still couldn't muster up another. It made Dick angry to his core and he tightened his fists into balls before replying, "A Main Street warehouse. But, there's nothing left of it."

Bruce's body turned and Barbara stepped aside as he made his way to the door. Dick flew suddenly, "Where are you going?"

Bruce paused before responding to the other male, "I'm going to find Jason."

Dick tightened his fists even tighter, digging his nails into the flesh of his hand. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry even. It made his furious. How could Bruce leave at a time like this? When Tim was hurt like this? How could he not want to stay with him and be with his own son?

Dick growled, his shoulders taught, "Tim needs you here."

"Contact me if his condition changes," Was Batman's only response before he exited the room, disappearing down the long halls of the mountain…

Dick let out a shout, causing Barbara to jump as he slammed his fist into the wall. Barbara stepped forward, glancing at the sleeping Timothy before her eyes settled on Dick once more. She ordered quickly, "Dick, calm down."

"He should stay here," Dick hissed, fire in his eyes as he looked at the red head. "Tim needs him here."

Barbara pinched the bridge of her nose, "Bruce works when he's stressed. Let him go."

Dick whirled sharply, his eyes settling on his little brother. He swallowed past the lump in his throat before growling, "I'm going to kill him, Barbara."

There was a long drawn out silence as she seemed to ponder on this statement. She wasn't sure who he was talking about or why he thought of it so suddenly, but it made her feel unsettled. Like she was standing on sand and the Dick Grayson she knew was shifting below her feet. Becoming something completely different.

"What?" Was her only voice.

Dick reached down, gripping Tim's hand tightly in his…

"If I find Jason…If I see him first…I'm going to kill him."

* * *

Bruce climbed into the Batwing, ignoring the emotions that clawed at him in his chest…

" _Tim needs you here."_

And maybe he did. Maybe his youngest did need him there, but Bruce knew he couldn't sit idle. Not while Jason was out, doing God knows what and planning something. Bruce had a feeling this wasn't just an act alone incident. There would be more. Jason was just trying to get their attention at this point and it had worked. He had gotten their attention by hitting one of the closest places to home. By attacking a Robin.

Batman gripped the steering wheel, taking in a short breath to calm himself.

He was angry.

He was livid.

And he was _sad._

Shaking his head, he didn't allow himself to feel any of that. Instead he started the vehicle up and flew out of the mountain, leaving his sons behind to fend for themselves while he chased something he had no chance of catching.

His greatest failure.

His biggest mistake.

Jason Todd.

* * *

 _Hope it was alright! And thanks so much for the reviews on chapter one!_


	3. Knowledge

AN: So a few things to explain. This is also set after season two but I changed a couple of things. I should have explained this in the first chapter but oh well. Ok, so Artemis did fake her death and all of those fun things happened. However, the mountain never exploded (obviously) and Wally never died. I couldn't have Wally dead, alright? *Cries*. Anyway, other than that and the ages everything else should be about the same. I'll let you know about other changes as they come.

Chapter Three

 _"Knowledge"_

The new apartment was a dump to say the least.

Though, Jason had lived in worse and it was actually a good bit better than the last one he had been living at, this one was still pretty crappy. But, it was sound and there were no rats, so as far as he was concerned he was living in a five star hotel. Besides the peeling wallpaper and the couches that stabbed you in the ass with old springs.

It was smack dab in the middle of downtown Gotham so the chances of Batman pinpointing this particular location were thin. He felt more secure here. Less likely to be discovered. His teammates were his only worry. They weren't bats. They didn't exactly know how to be discreet. For Christ's sake, one shot starbolts from her hands and the other had a robotic arm.

Jason shook his head from where he sat on the floor, cleaning his guns. It was a favorite pass time of his. Something to do when waiting. He didn't enjoy television or video games or any of that immature shit. He just wanted to clean the guns. It was relaxing in a way. Helped him wind down after a long day of shooting baddies in the skull.

Jason glanced up at Roy who was lying back on the couch, his mouth wide open. He was dozing, twitching every once in a while and he would pick his head up, just to make sure he was in the right place before he would shut his eyes once more and continue his light slumber. That must be Roy's favorite pass time. Napping.

Jason didn't like sleep. He saw…things in his sleep.

Suddenly the door to the apartment opened and Jason's head shot up, but the adrenaline didn't have time to hit before he saw it was Kori. She was carrying four large shopping bags, a big smile on her face as she came into the living room.

Jason sighed, "What did you do?"

"I used Friend Roy's credit card to buy our new clothes," Kori explained, a grin illuminating her face.

This startled Roy awake, causing him to sit up straight and cry, "What!?"

Jason smirked at Roy, "We needed new clothes so I gave her your card. But, I didn't expect her to buy so much."

"Dude!" Roy shouted, panic evident on his face. Jason wanted to laugh. He wanted to laugh until his ribs broke, but often he didn't. He laughed at the morbid things; even though this was morbid it wasn't quite morbid enough.

"Well, I sure as hell wasn't giving her mine."

Jason snapped one of his guns together and continued, "We needed clothes for tonight anyway."

"What's tonight?" Roy asked.

Jason pushed himself to his feet, explaining, "For the past three days, Batman has been trying to track me down since I blew the kid up. But, tonight he's obligated to a charity event. And if I know anything about Batman, he never risks the mask of Bruce Wayne slipping. He'll be there tonight. And so will we."

"Why would we want to go to the guy who is trying to lock us up?"

Jason leaned down, getting inches from Roy's face, "Because it's the only way of getting my agenda across to the Old Man without getting beaten to a bloody pulp."

"Bruce won't do anything in public…Not as Bruce Wayne."

* * *

Dick changed Tim's bandages tentatively, careful not to jostle the burns and scrapes too much. His blue eyes glanced up at the boy's face. It was still bruised and he still had a tube in his throat. Three days. Three days and he had yet to even twitch in his sleep. Canary said his vitals were out of danger now, so why wasn't he waking up? Why wouldn't he just open his eyes and why wasn't he breathing on his own?

He swallowed thickly, glaring as he continued to change the bandages. When he first saw Tim, he thought the boy was too scrawny to be Robin. He had proved himself though. He was still scrawny. Smaller than both Dick and Jason had been at thirteen, and Dick had been pretty _damn_ short. And yet, he was smart. His brains made up for the lack of build.

Dick finished, tying off the bandages before he moved his hand to his brother's hair, pushing it back like he always did. It was getting too long. It needed to be cut. Small things like that were dangerous on the field. Someone could grab it, Dick had seen people grab it and throw him like a rag doll. Sometimes, it happened in training.

The older brother jumped when there was a quiet knock at the door.

He turned, making eye contact with Wally West. Dick blinked, slightly surprised to see the speedster in the mountain. It wasn't often they saw him here anymore, not after his and Artemis' retirement. Especially not after the undercover mission.

"Hey," Wally greeted. "How's he doing?"

He wore a solemn smile. It wasn't like Wally to show that and Dick knew it was difficult for him not to be inappropriate at times. But, Wally was awkward at this kind of stuff. At comforting. Almost as bad as Batman. Except Batman was quiet in those moments, Wally tried to talk and usually ended up making a fool of himself.

"He's ok. Getting better every day…"

His voice faded, gaze traveling back to the child. Wally cleared his throat and asked, "Why are you guys keeping him here? Why not the cave or the manor?"

Dick grimaced, "Bruce wants to wait until we take the tube out before we move him."

"I'm sorry," Wally whispered. "I should have been there to help."

The raven held up a hand, "Stop it, Wally. I understand you and Artemis gave up hero work and you didn't know this would happen."

Wally was silent a minute. It frustrated him slightly that Dick would say it in that way. Almost condescending. But, Dick was dealing with a lot at the moment. A ton. His brother had a tube shoved down his throat and he was in the situation because his other brother decided to be a jealous prick.

Wally's voice was almost timid…

"Did Batman find a lead on where Jason is?"

"No," Dick answered hotly. "But, when _I_ find him, he's going to have hell to pay."

"You shouldn't say things like that. Babs told me what you want to do to him."

Dick whirled around, fury in his face as he screamed, "Why shouldn't I?! He tried to blow my brother up! And if you haven't noticed, he has been a little bomb crazy since he tried to blow himself, Bruce, and the Joker sky high!"

Wally could see Dick's exterior cracking as he snapped back around to look at Tim. Dick's eyes were shut tightly, as if trying to hide everything inside of him from the world. Dick was like that. Ever since the team had been started, Dick had been the one who showed concern about everyone else…But, when it came to worrying about himself he couldn't seem to force himself to do it. He just kept soldiering along, just like he had been trained to do.

People have to break. At some point they have to rip open and show every piece of themselves.

"Dick, please listen-"

"Just go," Dick whispered, throat quaking with emotion. "Just…leave…"

Wally stomped forward, grabbing Dick by the shoulders and swinging him around to face him. His eyes were bloodshot, red with the exhaustion of the last three days and the tears that threatened to fall. Wally growled, "No, I'm not leaving. Stop asking people to leave you behind. I'm _not_ going to leave."

Dick was shaking, and even attempted to throw an arm out and lash at the other. But, Wally didn't move back. He wrapped Dick into a tight embrace. Partly to control the flailing arms and other part to give some kind of comfort to the former acrobat.

After a few moments of a tense embrace, Dick relaxed in the hold and shut his eyes. One tear slipped through as he returned the hug. He mumbled…

"Why did he do it? What did Timmy ever do?"

* * *

Bruce adjusted his tie, staring at himself in the full bodied mirror. It was the millionth time he had worn a tux and gone to such a charity event. It felt out of place however. With the recent events he had considered canceling the party. But, he couldn't. Bruce Wayne had responsibilities…Different responsibilities than Batman. And he had to accept those responsibilities.

Alfred stood behind him, rolling the lint roller over his shoulders. The old man was dedicated. He was good at his job. He was their family, and could possibly be the glue that held them together even after every fight.

"How are you feeling, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked, breaking the long silence between the two as he finished with the lint roller and set it aside, allowing Bruce to scrutinize himself even more in the mirror.

Bruce reached up, adjusting his tie, "These events are always draining, but necessary."

Alfred let out a quiet sound of discontent, "That's well, Master Bruce. But, I'm afraid I was asking how you felt about the entire situation with Master Timothy."

Oh. Bruce should have guessed it was something such as that. Alfred worried and sometimes Bruce forgot that. He forgot the man too saw the children as his own flesh and blood. Too easily. Bruce pondered on his words a moment, now taking that into account that Alfred wanted to know. He just wanted to know how his family was recovering from such a hard blow.

"Tim is recovering."

"But, _you,_ Master Bruce. How are you handling the situation?" Alfred pressed.

Bruce swallowed, "I need to be leaving. I have to get to the Event Center to greet the guests when they arrive."

The Dark Knight exited the bedroom, Alfred tsking quietly as he walked behind him. The old butler was a father to him, but Bruce swore that sometimes he just pushed too hard on certain subjects. He was like the boys. Always poking for information and managing to get it out of him one way or another because of the undoubtable weakness he had for his family.

Bruce trotted down the stairs, but heard Alfred call from the top, "Master Bruce, your sons are not the only people who can see past your hard exterior. This is affecting you just as much as it is Master Richard and Miss Gordon."

Turning on his heels, Bruce peered up at his father figure as Alfred continued, "Please, for the love of God, speak with someone."

Bruce gave a stiff nod.

His couldn't muster words for that. So much concern was being melted from Alfred's voice that he just couldn't respond. He couldn't argue that he didn't need someone to talk to. It was moments like this that made Bruce truly question his strength.

So, instead of pondering it further, Bruce exited the manor…

Praying for a simple night of charity.

* * *

"I've never seen something so bad."

Jaime's voice was quiet when he spoke, looking at the ground. Bart watched his friend with a somber expression from their seats on the floor of the Situation Room. He glanced at Cassie, who also wore the same worried mask. No one had really talked about Robin in the past few days. Everyone was still pretty shocked over the incident. And silence seemed to be the answer. No one wanted to say anything to set another person off.

Bart gave a nod at Jaime's statement and Cassie seemed to nod too. No words could be spoken to comprehend the magnitude of the injuries Robin had sustained. They were still rookies. They were still learning. And death hadn't become such a prominent thing in their minds yet. They still saw each other as indestructible, even after the death of the second Robin and the death of Tula. Or the fake death of Artemis.

Cassie whispered, "I've never seen Nightwing so…Angry. Of course though, I wasn't here for the other Robin's death."

Jaime scoffed, "Oh, trust me. You didn't want to be. Anyway…It was just a weird situation because I've never seen Bats show that kind of worry, you know?"

Bart swallowed and shifted. So many things ran through his mind. He wanted to say something. He wanted to speak about what he knew. But, he knew that wasn't an option. They couldn't risk changing the world more than it already was, but he wasn't changing things for the better it seemed. _This_ was still happening. These steps that would lead to complete tragedy and he knew it. He knew this was going to be bad.

"I wonder if Red Hood will ever show his face again," Jaime added.

Bart bit his lip, standing from his seat on the floor. His friends looked up at him and Cassie asked, "You alright, Bart?"

Bart glanced away before nodding his head. He looked disturbed. Not like the Bart they had become familiar with. Something was eating at his core, tearing into his flesh like a disease, and he just couldn't talk about it. It couldn't find an antidote for this information bubbling in his stomach.

"Y-Yeah," He whispered. "I'm just going to lie down for a little."

"You don't look good, Hermano," Jaime muttered. "Maybe that's a good idea."

Bart swallowed thickly, turning and walking out of the room before taking off into a sprint that was as fast as the speed of light…

He needed to calm down…Regain his composure.

He needed to reassess his plan.

Because this is not the way it was supposed to go the second time around…

 _Not even close._

* * *

 _Hope you liked it! Please leave a review and let me know what you think! I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can._


	4. Masks

AN: I really need to set up a posting schedule or something so you all know when to expect these updates. Buuuut, I don't like doing such as that because my responsibility level is super low. So, I guess I'll continue to post when I can and as soon as I can. I hope you enjoy this chapter! I always love reviews! :)

Chapter Four

" _Masks"_

Bart could feel the cold wall of the closet pressed against his back. It was dark. Pitch black actually, which just made his thoughts even louder. It made them scream at him through the void that surrounded him. He wanted to make it stop. He wanted the world to stop beating him up and then leaving him to die. He wanted to be free of this weight and guilt and he just wanted to sink with it. To let it consume him. Maybe then it wouldn't hurt so much.

His body shook, and he could feel wetness streaming his cheeks. Crying. He was _crying_. He wasn't sure why his body was betraying him like this. Where Bart came from, the only time you cried was when you were born. Everything else was a cakewalk. You got used to losing people. You got used to being abused and alone. You adjusted. You didn't cry. Not after the toddler years of not understanding the pain.

Swallowing, he hoped it would push it down. If he just kept swallowing the knot in his throat, maybe it would digest everything. But, he hadn't changed anything. He had saved his grandfather, but was that it? Was that really all he had done to help the future? He hadn't saved anyone else. No one. And everything was going to happen again. The world would go to hell…Again.

And he'd have to watch it happen all over again, through the same eyes.

His mind raced uncontrollably…

" _It's starting…The war's starting and there's nothing I can do to stop it. Nothing."_

" _People are going to die and everything is going to fall apart."_

" _Everything."_

" _Wasn't I supposed to change things like this?"_

" _Wasn't saving Grandpa supposed to fix this?"_

Then the fear slammed into his chest and he doubled over, suddenly unable to breathe. A panic attack…He didn't recognize it. He didn't know what was happening; it felt like he was about die. Like the Grim Reaper had dug his hole and was just waiting for his chest to seize up enough to take him to his place in the earth, six feet under.

Suddenly, he was blinded when the door threw itself open.

He raised his eyes enough to see M'gann's concerned ones staring down at him. She had a hand over her mouth, as if she wanted to speak, but she couldn't quite figure out what to say. She seemed confused. She didn't know. She didn't know the half of what was happening in Bart's head.

Bart jumped to his feet, running out of the closet. His feet carried him down the long corridors of the mountain until he saw Wally step out of the med wing into his path. Bart attempted to stop. He attempted to halt his running, and the problems that were close behind. He thought maybe if he just kept running, maybe he would get away and maybe none of this would be real.

Wally looked over with wide eyes before sticking out his arm and grabbing Bart, stopping him. Bart shouted in surprise, wide eyed and frightened.

Wally stared down at the other speedster, vaguely aware Nightwing was about to exit the med wing also. He saw the tears on Bart's face and dread dropped into his chest like a ton of bricks. It didn't look good. It definitely didn't look good since it was Bart.

Bart struggled briefly in his hold, but Wally managed to keep a grip on him. The red head watched in horror as Bart began to sob, hard, and shake his head no repeatedly.

Glancing up, Wally saw M'gann flying down the hall towards them. Dick also exited the med wing and asked the Martian with his own puffy eyes, "What happened?"

"I-I'm not sure," She answered. "I found him crying in a closet."

Bart then began to hyperventilate, causing Wally to shake his shoulders hard. Wally asked in a low tone, "Bart, what's wrong? What happened?"

Bart grabbed at his hair, "I didn't fix anything! It's still going to happen!"

Dick kneeled down carefully and Wally felt a bit of relief. Dick was better with kids; he had to be with all the children Bruce took in. The raven placed a hand on Bart's back and asked slowly, "What's going to happen?"

"The War! The Atone War!"

The three elders glanced at each other with confused expressions before Wally placed a gentle hand on the back of Bart's neck, forcing the youngest to look him in the eyes. Bart's chest was still heaving, gasping for air as he looked up with a bloodshot stare.

Wally whispered, "Bart, you have to elaborate."

Bart began to shake, small noises escaping his chest…

"Jason is going to start a war…A war that's going to destroy…So much."

The whimper was so quiet but strong that no one could deny what he had said. Bart slowly leaned his head forward, placing it onto Wally's abdomen, seeking comfort from the other. Wally gulped, putting a hand on the back of the child's head.

When he looked at the others all he saw were the worried expressions of his friends.

Not. Good.

* * *

Jason stepped out of his car, staring into the distance at the bright lights of the Gotham Event Center. High society types were pulling into the front, having their pictures taken and then moving on up the many steps into the building where they would most likely judge one another on their money, looks, and connections.

It made him slightly nauseous.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw both Roy and Kori step out of their vehicles. Kori had on a full length, green gown and Roy wore a suit identical to Jason's. Jason grinned. They all looked so out of character for themselves it was almost laughable. But, not morbid. So not genuinely laughable.

Jason hummed, "Bruce really does know how to outdo himself."

He peered over at Roy and asked, "Did you bring the charges?"

"Yeah," Roy answered, holding up his duffle bag.

Jason smirked, ordering Kori, "Cover him so he can set them up. Let it go when I give the signal. Get the fuck away from them though, you two understand? I don't need you blowing yourselves sky high."

Both of the red heads nodded and Jason continued…

"Let's crash a party."

* * *

Bruce was antsy to say the least.

The wealthy couple in front of him were speaking, but he could barely hear it. Not because the room was loud, no the hums of Gotham's richest were low. It was his thoughts, beating at the inside of his skull that kept him rubbing his hands together over in over. It almost seemed compulsory, but it was something the average person would miss, so Bruce didn't worry too much over it.

The woman was quite younger than the man, but Bruce saw it many times at events like this. When you're wealthy enough, age doesn't quite matter anymore. Bruce had experience, constantly having young and old women fawning over him at parties that weren't as sophisticated as this one. And he just had to accept it. He had to give Bruce Wayne that image.

He had to adapt.

Bruce blinked, coming back into reality when he realized the woman was speaking to him directly…

"So how are your boys, Mr. Wayne?"

Bruce cleared his throat and forced a smile, "They're very well. Richard recently started a career in law enforcement and Timothy was offered the chance to advance to tenth grade and leap right over the ninth."

Both looked impressed, until the man asked, "I'm sure you're missing your other son terribly. It's the happy moments we tend to miss our loved ones, wishing they were there to spend the time with us."

The Dark Knight felt a pinch in his chest, "Yes Sir…You're very correct."

Bruce managed to push through five more minutes of small talk until the couple finally drifted away. Bruce sighed, reaching over to the nearby table and taking a sip of his wine that had been set aside. The liquid was bitter, but he knew it would help relax his frayed nerves to the slightest degree.

Then, a voice caused him to nearly choke.

"Quite a show you put on."

Bruce whirled around, his eyes meeting those of his son. The son that was supposed to be dead. The son who had tried to murder his youngest.

He had to use his entire will power not to tackle him right there. To not shake him until he listened to everything Bruce had to say to him. To every angry word he had built up in his throat. He couldn't here, though. Not as Bruce Wayne and he definitely didn't want anyone looking at Jason too closely. He was older now, yes…It would be a slim chance of him being recognized, but Bruce didn't want to explain why his second son suddenly returned from the grave and received a beating at his charity event.

Jason tsked, obviously noticing Bruce's clenched fists, "I don't think you're going to attack me in front of all these people, are you?"

"What are you doing here?" Bruce asked in a harsh tone.

Jason smiled, almost skipping over to the table with the glasses of wine set out. He grabbed one, taking a sip and peering into the glass before replying, "Well, you see Old-Man; I needed to get my agenda across to you without you trying to lock me up. What better a time than when you're stuck in your Bruce Wayne mask?"

Bruce glared, "You tried to kill Tim."

"The kid was collateral," Jason hummed. "A means of getting my point across."

"Your point still isn't clear."

Jason's eyes narrowed, "My point was this, Pops. No one is safe. I'm starting a war, and you can't hide anyone from me. Especially that little kid…"

A pause…

Jason looked troubled, "Is he…alive?"

"Do you care?" Bruce snapped.

"Not really," The younger cleared his throat. "I just need to know how many people are going to be on my ass."

Bruce was almost startled at Jason's ability to throw away the emotion as if he had never shown it just seconds before. He said, "He's alive. Barely. His lungs nearly collapsed in on themselves. And he flatlined."

Jason finished off the wine before murmuring, "Well, I guess it's a good thing I gave Dickie a call then, hm? Anyway, back to the point of this meeting. I'm planning on taking over Gotham's crime and controlling it, since your little arrest technique doesn't seem to be working. I'm going to be the new Batman in the form of Red Hood. Except this one isn't too much of a bitch to kill."

"No form of Batman kills."

"You're wrong about that, Bruce. Every form of Batman kills…Except sometimes…his own philosophy gets in the way of it." Jason paused and chuckled, "Hell, maybe I'll even make Baby-Bird my Robin."

Bruce took a step forward, the rage getting the better of him. Jason held out his empty glass and smiled, "Nu-uh, not tonight I'm afraid."

The father watched with a confused expression as Jason pressed a button on his watch. However, the confusion turned to shock as the left side of the ballroom erupted into flames and screams overtook the room instantly. No confusion. No pause. Just terror.

Bruce grabbed hold of the table to steady himself and when he looked up…Jason had vanished…

He heard one last call from above.

"See you around, Old-Man!"

* * *

Dick Grayson was silent, his elbows resting on his brother's bed from where he sat in his chair. He had made a home here the past few days, and after Bart's little meltdown, he had returned to watch his slumbering brother once more. Just in case something changed. A twitch. A gasp. Something.

He cringed inwardly when he heard the door open and shut. He knew it was Barbara. And he knew what she was going to say to him.

So instead of letting the conversation begin that way, he snapped, "Bruce contacted me. Told me what happened. Save it."

Barbara let out a sigh, approaching the bed and standing beside Dick's chair. She put a hand on his shoulder, however he was quick to shrug it off as he growled, "Don't tell me not to be angry, Babs. Don't you dare tell me not to think what I'm thinking."

Barbara shut her eyes a moment. Dick was being frustratingly difficult these past few days and she was having trouble being patient. She knew she needed to be. That this was his only family. She had parents outside of Bruce and Dick and Tim. Dick didn't.

"I'm not telling you not to be angry, Dick," She waited a heartbeat before continuing, "You have the right to be. Seven people were injured tonight, luckily though there were no fatalities. But…This idea you have about killing-"

"Shut up."

Anger rose in her chest as she growled, "Stop pushing people away. Eight months ago when Jason came back something happened. And something before that. Don't you see? There's something inside of him that's _hurting_ him."

Dick stood suddenly, getting inches from Barbara's face. She held her ground however, though the surprise in her eyes was evident. Dick hissed, "Did you hear about Bart's breakdown tonight?"

Confusion smacked her in the jaw and he went on, "Bart completely lost his mind. He told us that Jason is going to start a full out apocalypse and send the entire world into slavery."

"He has to be exaggerating," The ginger whispered.

"No, Bart said Jason's little war is going to trigger something bigger," He breathed. "Bart isn't sure who or what attacks, but when Jason brings Gotham to its knees someone else is going to take advantage of that. Someone stronger."

Barbara was silent and Dick pressed…

"Then…We're all going to lose."

Barbara ran a worried hand through her thick hair, "And Bart has no clue who's going to attack?"

"No, it was kept unwraps for the protection of the leader. They were never allowed to know who was running the show."

"We can figure out who it is," Barbara insisted.

"How?" Dick chuckled darkly. "If we couldn't do it the first time how are we going to do it now?"

Barbara took a step forward and gripped Dick's arm, "We didn't know before. Now we can change it."

Dick stared into her eyes and she looked so…sincere. She seemed completely and totally convinced they could do this. They could figure out who was going to take advantage of Jason's damage and who was going to create the hell of a world Bart had told them about. It almost made Dick sick as he whispered…

"Not if you don't learn from it."

* * *

Alrighty! That's chapter four for you guys! Hope you liked it!


	5. Awake

AN: Here is chapter five! I'd like to thank you all for the reviews, and to answer one of the questions from an **anonymous review** : No, Tim and Cassie are not dating in this story. I don't have anything against the ship; I just didn't really need it here for the plot and all. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Five

" _Awake"_

The first thing Tim was aware of was that something was in his throat.

He tried to push a scream past it. To push something past it. He gasped, sputtering as his back arched on the bed. Something was constricting his throat, he just couldn't deduce what. His hands went for it, searching and grabbing. He screamed again, only for it to come out as chokes as his hands wrapped around a foreign object in his mouth.

Tim yanked; feeling like fire was in his windpipe and his chest. But, he continued to pull until relief flooded over him and he finally got a gasp of unrestricted air. Coughing. Spitting. Heaving…He couldn't catch his breath as he sat up on his elbows. Everything hurt. His chest. His arms…Shoulders…Ankle. It all hurt. A stinging sensation was radiating from his abdomen and he wasn't sure he had ever felt so much pain at once.

Hands were suddenly there. Gentle. Strong. Pushing him back onto the bed. Tim opened his blue eyes, the world blurry until his vision focused on Dick Grayson. Comfort melted into him. His brother. Dick. He was here and he must be safe if Dick was here.

"Shhh, Timmy," Dick almost sounded like he was talking to a wailing infant. "You're alright. I'm right here."

Tim gripped at Dick's arms, still trying to catch his breath past the pain in his throat. Dick placed a hand on the younger's chest, ordering, "Deep breaths. Take really deep breaths."

Tim tried. He honestly did, but it seemed so hard. Every gasp was painful and sent fire into his core. He managed to croak, "It hurts. It hurts."

"What hurts?" Dick asked, concerned.

Tears began to bleed down Tim's face as he whispered, "Everything."

He had no time to be self-conscious. He was in pain. Searing, absolute pain. A pain he had never felt before in his life was crawling into his bones and he couldn't do anything but lie still and accept that this was what it was and he would have to heal for it to go away. Dick moved a moment, causing Tim to panic slightly until he reappeared with a syringe in hand.

He stuck the needle into Tim's arm, and the teenager immediately felt a warm sensation pour through him. He relaxed almost instantly, his chest beginning to slow and take even breaths. Tim asked, "What was that?"

"Pain killer," Dick replied, setting the syringe aside before sitting on the edge of the bed. Tim watched as Dick stuck out his hand, pushing Tim's hair away from his face silently. Dick finally spoke after a few moments, "Are you ok?"

Oh no. Not that question. Tim immediately felt his emotions quake and he shut his eyes, the tears returning. He gasped, "He tried to kill me, Dick. He tried to-"

A hiccup interrupted him. Tim then opened his eyes and mumbled, "What did I do? What did I do to him?"

"You didn't do anything," Dick knew he had to be quick to chase that thought out Tim's head. He'd never think otherwise if Dick didn't. "You did absolutely nothing wrong."

Dick placed a chaste kiss on the side of Tim's temple as the boy continued to shake. Tim almost whimpered, "He's planning something. Something big."

"I know."

Tim swallowed, "I was scared."

Dick had to pause. It sounded so small. Just like the child Tim was and the guilt washed over him. Why did they do this? Sometimes he really wondered why they put scared kids in costumes and expected there to be no PTSD or anything of the sort when men and women suffer every day in real wars. Dick gripped the child's hand in his, trying to grab every piece of himself that was floating away.

"Me too, Timmy."

* * *

Batman's fingers glided across his keyboard in the cave, eyes digging deep into the screen. His face was cold. Entirely and unwaveringly cold.

It was almost too much. Even for the Batman to wear such a face it was too much. And he knew that. He knew he was sinking lower and lower with every passing moment, just waiting for one son to die and another son to kill and a third son to lose his mind. Maybe switch the three and you got his life, his hands. The blood that covered them and the consequences that came behind, thudding and running in the storm that had begun to brew over Batman's head.

It was like his own person storm cloud, following him.

Laughing at his life.

The screen was littered with newspaper articles about the Red Hood's crimes…He had apparently been taking over the crime of Gotham, overthrowing crime bosses. It had gotten to the point to where more than half of Gotham's underworld was following his lead.

They had all switched to the Red Hood's side in order to gain his protection.

Maybe it was wise. But, maybe it was stupid.

Either way it was unsettling for Bruce.

He heard the sound of the clock above opening and closing and he inwardly groaned. Two sons were in Happy Harbor…So that left only one other person it could be. He had asked for no interruptions. He had wanted to do this alone…

"I asked for no disturbances, Barbara," Bruce called.

The voice that responded was definitely not Barbara's…

"Well, you may want to make an exception for a friend."

Bruce whirled around, making eye contact with none other than, the Barry Allen. Bruce's face was flat and he turned back around to face his computer, grumbling in an annoyed tone, "I don't have friends."

"Ouch," Barry said, placing a hand over his chest. When Bruce gave no response, Barry approached the Dark Knight, leaning over his shoulder to look at the computer also. He asked, "What're you doing?'

Bruce made no attempt to hide his annoyance. He shut the computer down, whirling his chair around. It cause Barry to stumble back a bit, however, the smile never left his face. Even under the Bat's glare he never faltered.

"What do you want?"

"What?" Barry chuckled. "I can't just drop in and visit my favorite bat?"

Bruce's eyes narrowed even deeper and Barry's exterior cracked a little and the smile wavered a few moments. Finally, he let out a small sigh and confessed, "Alright, alright…I actually came to speak with you about what Bart said a couple of days ago."

The darker haired male huffed, "We had J'onn look into his mind. There's no evidence that Bart knows who or what is going to make a move when Gotham and the world become weakened."

"I know that. But, I was thinking…Maybe if the Light is somehow involved in this?" Barry suggested carefully, almost knowing what the response would be. He knew he had to speak his thoughts though. At this point, anything was a good idea.

Considering there were no ideas at all…

Just as Barry thought, Bruce answered, "The Light dispersed after their plans were discarded and Ra's al Ghul was killed."

"Do you really think any of these guys are ones to throw years of work away just because one of their members kicked the bucket?" Barry raised an eyebrow after his question was complete.

"No," Bruce paused. "But, considering Ra's is dead and Brain and Black Manta are locked away, that doesn't leave very many people left to get the job done."

Barry let out a deep breath he hadn't been aware he was holding deep down in his chest. The worry continued to build as he leaned back against the desk and shut his eyes a moment. The terror on his grandson's face when he heard about what was going to happen was wavering through his mind and he shifted on his feet.

He spoke, "We're grasping at straws here. We honestly have no leads and it's pissing us all off."

Bruce's voice was deep and quiet, "We have one lead. And it's Jason…This person is somehow connected to him. We can only go from there."

A beeping sound met the two male's ears and Bruce pulled his communicator from his pocket…A message from Dick…

" **Tim is awake."**

Relief flooded the man as he looked up at the blond. He stood from his chair and gave a slight nod…It seemed Barry knew what the message was about.

His son was awake.

He was _alive._

* * *

Tim sipped the warm tea in an attempt to calm his swollen throat. M'gann had made it, and though it was nowhere near as good as Alfred's, it was a close second and she had put her heart into it. So, he didn't complain. And honestly, the warmth _did_ make his throat feel better. It even made his person feel better. He felt calmer, more at ease with his thoughts.

Bart sat at the foot of the bed and Tim watched him warily. The speedster looked distraught. The bags under his eyes were evident and Tim couldn't quite put his finger on what made him feel so uncomfortable about it.

Speedsters weren't supposed to look like this. They were supposed to smile. They were supposed to be happy. Unwavering. Completely goofy. Yet, Bart was not.

Tim didn't like that.

Tim croaked through the sting in his neck, "You don't have to feel bad about telling us. If you hadn't have said anything we would have no idea."

"We still won't be able to stop it if we don't know who ruins everything," Bart responded, not looking Tim in the eye.

Tim shook his head, "We're a step closer now." He leaned over, setting his cup aside on the table. Suddenly, he winced, gripping at his rib with his hand and shutting his eyes tightly. Bart twitched, sitting up straight and staring at Tim with wide eyes.

"Are you ok? Do I need to go get Nightwing?"

Tim grunted, holding out his hand to stop the other as he hissed, "Don't. He's already smothering me as it is. Plus, he's busy getting ready to move me back to the manor."

"I'm sorry," Bart whispered.

Tim shook his head, "Stop feeling guilty." He relaxed back into his pillow and Bart opened his mouth as if to speak again, but he was interrupted by Bruce entering the room. There was a moment of complete silence before Bart stood and looked at Tim one last time.

"I'll see you later."

And then he was gone.

Tim blinked, surprised by the sudden disappearance before his eyes moved to the Dark Knight. Tim swallowed thickly past his glass throat and greeted, "Hey."

Batman asked in a clinical tone, "How are you feeling?"

Tim almost flinched at that. Blunt, as always, he didn't know why he was ever surprised anymore. Tim blinked, "I'm fine. Throat hurts though."

"You shouldn't have pulled the tube out," Batman hummed.

Tim almost laughed, "I didn't exactly know what it was when I was half conscious."

The teen then felt a heavy hand place itself on his shoulder and squeeze gently. Immediately, guilt flooded him at the attempt of comfort. He looked down at his lap and said quietly, "Look Bruce…I-I'm sorry for getting caught. I should have been paying more attention. An-And now we have this problem on our hands…"

Tim trailed off, unsure what to finish with.

His eyes rose when Bruce grunted, "It's not your fault, Tim."

Almost immediately his eyes returned to being downcast and his shoulders began to shake with shame. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to keep the tears at bay. This wasn't how it was with Dick. He couldn't show his fear to Bruce. Bruce had no fear. He was The Batman. And Tim was Robin. There wasn't supposed to be fear.

Tim felt Bruce's hand move from his shoulder to the back of his head. It sat there a moment before Batman leaned down and said as gently as the Dark Knight could muster, "It's alright to be afraid."

There was a pause and Bruce felt a bit of guilt in his gut, but he asked anyway…

"What happened in the warehouse, Tim?"

Tim choked with surprise. He didn't expect the question so soon. He knew it would come, but not now. Not when he had only been awake and in Bruce's presence less than a day. The thirteen year old shifted and croaked, "He said that he was starting a war. And that you couldn't hide me."

It was that moment that Dick chose to enter and honestly Tim was relieved. He didn't want to get into the details. He didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to cry. Not in front of Bruce. He felt the calmness settle in him and he watched his brother shift his eyes back and forth between the two occupants of the room.

Dick seemed to notice Tim's eyes were blood shot with unshed tears. He looked at Bruce and asked, "What's going on?"

Tim quickly moved to get rid of the tears as he explained, "Nothing, Bruce was just asking about the warehouse."

"Bruce," Dick hissed, shock seeping into his tone. "Don't you think it's a little soon?"

"We need all the information we can get at this point."

There it was.

So _fucking clinical._

Tim was quick to change the subject, seeing the rage beginning to seep into his brother's tone, "Did Alfred set up my room?"

When Dick looked back at Tim, his expression softened and he nodded. Tim rubbed his eyes again and sighed with relief…

"Can we go?"

* * *

Oliver Queen was silent, staring at his computer screen. He rubbed his chin, thoughts racing around in his skull as he racked his brain for answers. Answers to all the questions the video in front of him caused his mind. He wanted to scream…To throw things. Nothing was coming up. Not an answer. Not a clue.

Dinah entered the room, holding a small doll in her hands, "Lian left this last time Roy brought her over, you know? We're going to have to stop being so scared of Jade and bring it over."

The dining room of Queen Mansion was completely silent as the blonde stared curiously at Oliver. She shifted, clearing her throat and yet she got no response. Instead she just saw a face of utter worry.

Dinah swallowed, "What's wrong?"

"I haven't heard from Original Roy in quite some time now," Oliver finally responded, eyes scanning the computer.

Dinah shrugged, the concern leaving her almost immediately, "Well, we kind of knew he'd fall of the radar, you know?"

"That's the problem," Oliver growled. "He's not off the radar."

Oliver turned the laptop screen around to face the woman and she squinted her eyes, leaning over the table to watch what appeared to be security footage. Her pupils dilated with surprise when she saw Original Roy…Setting up charges.

"Where is this?" She whispered.

"Bruce Wayne's charity event a few nights ago. Batman informed the League that Red Hood had attacked and had spoken to him…But, I don't think he knew he had help."

Dinah breathed, "Roy is working with Jason."

"Yes," Oliver huffed. He then zoomed in on a female in the corner of the camera, "And apparently he's working with Starfire as well…Former member of the Titans."

Dinah didn't say anything and Oliver quickly pulled his communicator from his pocket and pressed it to his ear.

"Roy, there's something I think you need to know…And I need your help to fix it."


	6. Interests

AN: First of all, I'd like to apologize about the long wait for this update. I started my Senior year of high school a few weeks ago. While that's exciting, I know it doesn't excuse me making you wait so long. However, I was inspired to finally sit down and write, thanks to a wonderful review left by a user named Cobwebbs. Their review made me very excited to continue so I took time out of my schedule to update. Here you go! And again, I apologize for the wait!

Chapter Six

" _Interests"_

Roy had to admit that out of all the places he had lived in his life, Gotham City had the best donuts and coffee.

He didn't know why, and don't get him wrong, the constant danger of being murdered was still a factor, but maybe, just maybe it was worth the glazed donuts. Chocolate. Strawberry. Every kind under the sun. And once Kori had discovered them thanks to Roy, she also seemed to share the same love for the pastry.

Too bad Jason was a Sad-Sack-Sally. He'd probably like them too if he'd just eat them.

Roy and Kori had discovered a donut shop a few blocks from the apartment and Roy bounced almost like a child as he stood in line beside the alien woman. He held his bag of donuts in hand, waiting to check out. His coffee warmed his other hand against the harsh Gotham cold.

A good way to start the day in his opinion.

Until, he heard the last voice he wanted to hear.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Both Roy and Kori whirled around and Roy was slightly taken aback to see himself standing there. The shock on his face quickly dissipated however, realizing it was just the clone. Annoyance stirred in the pit of his stomach. His damned Replacement, just like Tim was to Jason. Maybe that's why he had joined him. Maybe not. Pity was a strong emotion.

Original Roy had to hold out his arm as Kori's face lit up and she stepped forward to greet him, saying, "Friend Roy."

No not friend Roy.

Original Roy made no pause after stopping the woman, "What are you talking about?"

The Clone threw down as DVD at the other's feet and Original Roy stared at it through narrowed eyes as the other spoke, "Ollie caught the two of you helping Jason blow up the Gotham Event Center."

Arsenal made no attempt to lie. He knew if he did it would only be unraveled and that was waste of time. He could think of better things to do with his words. So, he snapped, "Oh please, I don't need my copy lecturing me."

"You could have killed someone! People got hurt!"

He shrugged, "They were collateral."

Red Arrow glared, "You sound like Jason."

Original Roy gripped his bag of donuts so tightly he thought maybe he had smashed the precious food. He growled, "You don't know anything about Jason. What we're doing is helping Gotham. Just putting away the criminals isn't helping anyone."

His Clone gulped, "You're delusional."

Original Roy grabbed Kori's hand and said, "No, I was. Now I know the truth."

He began to try and pull her from the coffee shop, donuts and all. He had made it around the older version of himself until his arm was grabbed and he was yanked back to stare into the eyes that were his own. He tugged, "Let go."

"Not a chance. Ollie and I are risking a lot by not telling the League about this so that you don't get caught up in Jason's mess."

Original Roy grinned, "I'm touched. But…I don't need your help."

He then threw his scalding coffee in the taller's face, whirling around and dragging Kori from the shop…

Nothing like fighting fire with fire.

* * *

Barbara entered Tim's room just in time to witness Dick poking a needle into the slumbering boy's arm.

Tim's pained face almost immediately relaxed as the syringe was removed and Dick set it aside. The red head entered the room further and swallowed thickly past the worried lump in her throat. She asked, "What was that?"

Dick glanced back, barely making eye contact with her before huffing, "A sedative. We've been trying to keep him under while his ribs finish healing up."

Barbara knew that what she was going to say next would rip out this bit of calmness between the two of them, but it had to be spoken. She shifted, biting her lip, trying to fight down her anxieties about the conversation. She whispered, "The team is scrambling without a leader."

Dick's shoulders tightened almost immediately, "Tim needs me here. Ask Aqualad to take over for me."

"Aqualad is still in Atlantis reconstructing himself."

Dick sighed, placing a hand over his face and breathing. He had to keep everything in check, because lately nothing had been in check. And this was out of routine. Taking care of Tim. Not being with the team or Bludhaven or any of it. He didn't quite know what he was doing anymore. He didn't know where to go from here.

"Then get M'gann or Conner to handle it," Dick said. "I need to be here with Tim. Bruce is constantly gone and he can't stand to look at Tim for more than five minutes without getting broody."

"What, like you?" Barbara snapped, folding her arms over her chest.

Dick only got the chance to glare before she continued, "Dick, you've been brooding ever since Tim got hurt. We have a serious problem. Someone is going to take over the freaking world and you're codling a child who doesn't want to be coddled."

Dick tightened his fists, "He almost died, Babs! He almost died just like Jason, and Jason is the one who almost killed him! How do you expect me to just let that go and leave him alone?!"

She shut her mouth, opening, then shutting it again. She couldn't blame him. Really, she couldn't. How could she be angry for him worrying about his brother? How could she hate him? Honestly and completely hate him?

She murmured, "Dick…Tim is alive. He's getting better every day. But, everyone is in danger. The team needs you. The League needs you. We all need you."

Dick gulped, whirling around to look down at his little brother…

"I'll think about it."

* * *

Wally hadn't expected to see Artemis filling her quiver when he returned home.

In actuality, he could have sworn they were retired. Well, except for the little spill with the whole undercover mission, but that was old news. After that, they had agreed. They had agreed it would be the last time. She had promised.

Wally had to fight back a scream.

She had promised.

His feet carried him beside where her things were laid out on the couch and he asked, "What is this?"

She almost looked sheepish, as if this were her getting caught stealing something from a cookie jar. As if it wasn't serious. Just child's play. She spoke, continuing what she was doing, "I'm going to help the team search for connections to the Red Hood."

Wally shook his head, terror gripping him. Not again. Dick was not going to put Artemis in the line of fire again. He reached for the quiver, but Artemis moved it away, almost looking offended.

"Don't try to stop me."

Wally looked devastated, "We left that life for a reason."

"This is bigger than just some ordinary mission, Wally," She insisted, setting down the quiver. "The entire world is in danger and the team is dwindling. They need our help."

Wally huffed, "What about the League?"

"I have no idea what they're doing. They never tell the sidekicks anything," She shrugged.

"They're not sidekicks," Wally murmured under his breath. She was wrong. This was wrong, she had given his a promise and he had finally felt like life was being put back together. But, here they were, in that threshold they had been in a while back when she wanted to help Dick with his mission. Here they were, drowning again.

Artemis couldn't help but smirk at his words. Wally's eyes widened and he quickly shook his head, "No."

She gripped his hand and said excitedly, "Please? I'll make you a ten course dinner, just how you like it."

Wally adverted his eyes, fighting the urge to argue. He couldn't say no. Because if he said no she would go alone and he didn't want her to go without him. At least if he was there…she would be safe.

"Fine. For the dinner."

* * *

Jason loaded the gun for the fifteenth time.

Once again this was his relaxation, just like every other time. It was quiet here, Kori and Roy having gone out for breakfast or something. He wasn't quite sure where they were, but it annoyed him when they just disappeared without telling him where they were going. It made him uneasy, and he wasn't quite sure why.

He held the gun in his hand, testing the weight. Guns seemed to fit perfectly in his hand now. He could remember a time when he was learning to use the weapon; it felt so foreign to him. Like it didn't belong there, and he knew it was because Bruce had engrained in his head that the weapon was evil. Now, it was his best friend.

Jason stood suddenly, pointing the gun at the door as it flew open. Roy rushed in, eyes growing wide with shock when he stared down the barrel of Jason's gun. A small scream escaped his lips and he rushed out, running past Kori who was following behind him. The woman stood there, looking at Jason with a confused expression as Jason rolled his eyes and lowered the weapon.

Roy returned after a moment of realization, peeking back into the apartment with an embarrassed expression. Jason asked, "What are you two running around like idiots for?"

Roy spoke, out of breath, "They know we're helping you."

"Who?"

Roy placed his hands on his needs and breathed, "Ollie and the Clone Roy…They know Kori and I are helping you. The Clone just cornered us in a donut shop. Which is bull crap, cause I had to throw my coffee in his face to get away. So you owe me three dollars."

Jason held up his hands, "Wait, wait, wait, how did they find out?"

"The Clone and Ollie have security footage of us setting up the bomb. But…I don't think they're going to tell the League. Clone Roy said something like they were risking a lot by not telling."

The other male scoffed, "That's parents for ya, always trying to get their kids out of trouble. Even willing to lie to the League to do it. Don't worry too much though. At the most we just have to worry about Oliver and Clone Roy coming after us. Plus, they're in the same boat as the League…They have no idea where we are either."

Jason then reached over to the table and picked up his gun once more, smiling, "And tonight, we have bigger things to worry about. We're going to pay Black Mask a little visit."

* * *

Hope you enjoyed! Please review!


	7. Confrontation

**AN** : So, it has been a long time since I updated this story. Like a really looooong time. But, it has been my senior year and the past few months have been jam packed with senior project and trying to get myself out of school. It's spring break, and I thought, what the hell, why not revive this story, right? So let's have a little revival. Here's chapter seven, and to make it up to you guys for being so damn late, I made it extra-long. I hope you all enjoy it, and again, I am so freaking sorry. Please review! Maybe it'll help me not to be such a slacker.

Chapter Seven

" _Confrontation"_

When Dick entered the cave through the zeta tubes, he could have laughed.

Really, he could have. The younger kids stood around Artemis and Wally with stars in their eyes. It wasn't often when they got to see the two suited up and ready to go. By the time a lot of them had joined the team, Artemis and Wally had already retired. And other than the fiasco with the Light, this was one of the few times they got to see it.

Garfield was by far the best face to see. His mouth open, the gap in his mouth visible. He looked totally amazed. Like the first day they had met him, back when his mother was still alive and he was still your everyday little boy.

Dick approached them, observing how M'gann was talking quickly to Artemis, obviously trying to catch up, and Conner stood in the corner of the room as usual. Dick's eyes caught Wally's and he asked, "What are you two doing here?"

Artemis whirled around at the sound of Dick's voice, quickly enveloping him into a hug. He knew. He knew by the stiffness of her arms this was her trying to comfort him. However, he wasn't sure if he could handle it at the moment. Barbara had tried her best and failed. Artemis, unfortunately, would be no different.

As she pulled away, she smiled and Dick couldn't help but return it with his own crooked grin. She said, "We're here to help with the search for the Red Hood and find out who is going to take over."

Dick swallowed thickly and replied, "Thank you. I haven't been around much because of everything with Tim…"

They must have noticed his uneasiness because Wally placed a comforting hand on the younger's shoulder.

"We're here now. We're going to help you."

Dick couldn't help but feel a bit relieved.

* * *

Batman hated these meetings.

The ones with every member of the League sitting around a table staring cold heartedly at each other. This line of work had done its damage to most. Everyone's mouths were pulled into straight lines, their shoulder taught. Defensive. They didn't get along half the time. He wondered sometimes if this had been the best idea. Forming a group of all powerful super-beings. Risking the safety of the world.

They all had targets on their backs. Which put targets on the Earth.

Batman moved his eyes below his cowl, staring at Superman with an expectant look. His jaw clenched and Superman immediately nodded, folding his hands together and clearing his throat.

"You were all called here for a specific reason. Recently, we were informed that there is a devised plan taking place in which Gotham will be taken under siege and eventually the entire world. The only lead we have on the subject is the Red Hood, who is supposedly going to start the chain reactions of this taking place. The Red Hood will supposedly bring Gotham to its knees, and a higher power will take advantage of that, taking over the Hood's rule and eventually crippling the world and the people protecting it."

Dinah was the first to lean forward in her seat as she asked, "Has anyone considered the Light?"

Flash raised his hand excitedly, "Oh! I did!"

Batman shook his head slowly…He was tired of having this conversation. He explained in an impatient tone, "The Light was dispersed after the arrest of Black Manta and Brain, along with the killing of Ra's al Ghul. They don't have enough resources to flourish as they were before."

"So why don't we just take care of this Red Hood guy?" Wonder Woman shrugged.

Batman's eyes narrowed below his cowl, "Take care of him as in what?"

Hal Jordan scoffed from his place rocking back and forth in his chair, "Pick the little brat off. After all, if all he's good for is starting wars, will it really be that much of a loss?"

Batman tightened his fists, "This is my city. And that's not my plan."

"So you're trying to protect this guy?" Hal asked, face shocked. "The guy who practically blew another Robin to smithereens?"

A silence swallowed the room as Batman stood suddenly and slammed his hand onto the table. Green Lantern sat up straight in surprise as did the other League members. Some knew. Others didn't. It wasn't their fault; it was the fault of the ignorance. Batman had to remind himself that. He had to remind himself not to make this personal.

It was hard.

Batman seethed, "We will not do anything in my city that I do not approve of. And your knowledge is very slim on the Red Hood, Green Lantern. So, I suggest you keep your mouth shut on the topic."

Green Arrow stood quickly, and held out his hand between the heroes. He spoke in a calm tone, "We're here to talk about this calmly and collectively."

Batman didn't say another word, and instead whirled around, storming from the room.

Dinah leaned back in her chair and sighed deeply, "So much for civilized meetings."

* * *

He was alone. Alone for the millionth time in his life. Bart swung his legs silently, allowing them to hit the side of the bed where he sat. He gripped his bed sheets, looking at the floor as he reevaluated himself. His plan. Everything he was doing. None of it was going quite right.

Someone else should have done this. He wasn't cut out for it.

He jumped when there was a knock at the door, causing him to look up quickly and call out, "C-Come in."

Wally emerged from behind the door and Bart's eyes widened when he saw him in his suit. It wasn't every day you got to see Kid Flash in his old get-up. Bart spoke in a shocked manner, "W-What're you doing here?"

"Artemis and I came to help with the search for the Red Hood," Wally smiled.

Bart was silent a long moment before nodding his head and forcing a smile on his face, but Wally could see through it. He could see through every wall Bart was trying to put between himself and the team. Every breath that was forced and pained. It was all…Terribly painful to watch, especially from a kid that plastered happiness everywhere he would go.

"That's good," Bart whispered. "Nightwing has been gone a lot and M'gann and Conner aren't very good at leading. Uh…No offense to them, but M'gann is too kind and Conner is too rough. And now that Kaldur is in Atlantis…well…It only leaves rookies, really."

Bart felt the bed shift from where Wally sat beside him and asked, "How are you feeling, Bart?"

The younger held in a long breath, glancing up at Wally before glancing away once more. He whispered, "I'm fine."

Bart was just as bad a liar than any other speedster, that was for sure. Maybe they needed to take notes from the Batclan. Wally reached out, putting a hand on Bart's shoulder a bit awkwardly. He had seen Dick do it when he was comforting Tim sometimes, so maybe it was same concept with Bart. Bart often reminded him of a hyperactive version of Tim. Both holding in so much. Never verbalizing what was really eating away at them.

And suddenly Bart felt the stress of Dick's shoes.

"You can talk to me, Bart," Wally insisted.

"I know," Bart heaved out a deep breath as if he had been holding it. "But, I've been talking to Dinah and J'onn dug around in my head a-and…I don't really feel like talking right now."

Wally nodded before asking, "Are you going to see Tim at the manor?"

"No," Bart hissed. "I don't want to see the damage I caused."

"Hey," Wally said quickly, grabbing Bart's other shoulder and turning him to look at him in the eyes. "Don't say that. You know this isn't your fault."

"But, it is!" Bart shouted suddenly, pushing Wally's hands off his shoulders. "I knew it was going to happen, I just thought it would be different this time, like most things have been, but it wasn't…"

Bart paused and shut his eyes, murmuring, "I'm such a screw up."

Wally opened his mouth to say more, but the door to the room slid open suddenly. Both speedsters jumped, seeing Nightwing standing in the doorway. He spoke quickly, "Figures spotted on Gotham rooftops. Seemingly going towards Black Mask's facility. We think it's the Red Hood."

Wally stood immediately, and Bart went to follow. However, Nightwing held out a hand and ordered, "Senior members only tonight, Bart. Get some sleep."

Bart nodded as the two disappeared through the door. He sank to his bed slowly, allowing his head to fall into his hands…

Things were getting really hard.

* * *

All three outlaws sat on the pebble covered rooftop of the old banker building, directly across the street from Black Mask's facility. Jason wore just his domino mask tonight, taking a long drag of his cigarette. He had considered quitting, running seeming to get a little harder, but he decided to just cut it back to three a day, instead of his usual pack.

He would honestly laugh if his lungs killed him before a gunshot wound.

Jason heard an annoyed voice say from behind him, "Do you see him yet?"

The former-bat glanced behind him at Roy who was sitting with his arms crossed over his chest, shoulders shivering from the cold. Jason rolled his eyes, gesturing towards his large rocket-launcher beside him, "No, if I had I would have fired and we would be back at the apartment, not freezing our asses off."

Roy sighed, "We should have brought some hot chocolate or something."

"How about I just light a cigarette under your ass?" Jason groaned at the complaining, putting out the cancer-stick in the pebbles.

"You don't have to get violent."

"I really do."

Kori shifted from where she sat nearby the boys and asked, "Are we sure that Black Mask is in residence tonight?"

"I've been trailing behind him for months now, I know his routine," Jason sighed, a puff of air entering the coldness of the night. "Hell, I even know when he takes a shit."

Roy made a disgusted face, opening his mouth to say something when he was suddenly kicked in the back. He fell face forward into the pebbles, a mouth full of stones causing him to spit to his left. When he looked up, he saw his partners standing at the ready, Jason holding a gun to someone behind Roy. Roy looked over his shoulder, jumping to his feet when he saw Nightwing, Artemis, Superboy, Miss Martian, and Kid Flash.

Jason was the first to speak, tsking, "Well hell, this is a little unfair, don't you think, Dickie-Bird?"

"Drop the gun," Nightwing ordered.

"Or what?" Jason laughed. "You'll call pops and tell him what a disappointment I'm being?"

Wally stepped forward, pointing at the other two Outlaws, "What I'm wondering is why the hell Kori and Roy are helping you."

Roy brushed the excess pebbles off his front and he scoffed, "Oh what? The Clone didn't tell you?"

From the confused looks on their faces, he guessed not. He grinned annoyed, looking at both Jason and Kori before continuing, "Aw, I guess he really does care."

"What are you talking about?" Artemis snapped.

Roy gestured to Kori who cleared her throat and explained, "Other…Friend Roy ambushed us. Apparently Mr. Oliver Queen uncovered a surveillance video and kept it hidden. Other Roy was sent to confront us."

Conner shook his head in response, "That bastard…He hid this from the League?"

"Maybe there was a good reason for it," M'gann insisted.

Jason cut in suddenly, "Shut up, all of you."

His eyes then moved to Nightwing who had been silent most of the conversation. He smirked cruelly at his once-was-brother and seethed, "You're being awfully quiet, Dickie. Might want to start talking before I start shooting."

Nightwing straightened his shoulder in frustration, growling, "You can't kill Black Mask."

"And why the fuck can't I?" Jason almost laughed, swinging his gun in a circle.

Below the mask it seemed that Nightwing's face had softened. Something solemn overcame the air and the tenseness only fed the flame. Nightwing stated simply, "We don't kill."

Jason tightened his grip on the gun, continuing to have it trained on the group in front of him. He shook his head, setting his lip in a straight line, "Sorry to break it to you, but I crossed that line a long time ago. I'm not a Bat anymore. I don't have to follow that rule."

"Like you didn't follow it when you almost killed Robin?" Superboy cut in.

Jason gave a sideways shrug, "Baby brother was collateral."

"Don't you dare call him that," Nightwing breathed. The raven haired man stepped forward, only for Kid Flash to grab him by the arm and stop him. "You have no right."

Jason actually laughed. It was venomous and taunting, but it sounded like he was truly entertained by the group's distress. Jason took a few moments to catch his breath and he sighed, "A bit possessive of the runt, aren't we? Did the old-man tell you how I was considering making him my Robin?"

"What the _hell_ is wrong with you?" Artemis uttered.

Jason gave an unknowing body movement that was overdramatized, "Coming back from the dead could fuck anyone up, Sweetheart."

"If you go anywhere near Robin, I'll kill you," Nightwing had a blacked finger pointing at Jason from the space between them on the rooftop. The sense of immorality living in him. Something he couldn't describe was building in his chest and had been building since Jason had died. It only grew larger with Tim's injury. Dick was about to combust. And he had no way of getting the anger out other than verbally, without hurting someone physically.

"Ohhhh, I thought we don't kill, Saint Richard?" Jason grinned. "Or is there an exception for the kid that I didn't know about? Clearly he's a bit more precious than I was considering Joker is still alive."

"Hood," Kori's voice said suddenly, causing him to whirl around. She was pointing at the building behind them and Jason rushed forward, looking through his binoculars. Black Mask had just entered his office, clear as day through the giant windows.

A grin graced Jason's lips, apparent to all without the helmet. He glanced at his comrades, ordering, "Starfire. Arsenal. Get rid of them."

Jason reached for his rocket launcher, seeing Kori make a barrier between them and the others, spewing starbolts onto the roof and causing it to erupt into a flame. M'gann fell backwards, eyes widening at the sight of the flames inches away from her body and close enough to singe her skin.

Superboy was by her side in an instant, just as Arsenal jumped over the flames towards the heroes. Without hesitating, he shot several smoke arrows, filling the world around them in a haze of grey. Wally zoomed out of the blur, ramming into Kori who was still trying to keep the barricade between the others and Jason as he aimed up his launcher.

Kori flew back to her feet, blocking a hit from the speedster as he asked, "Why the hell are you helping someone like Jason?"

Kori's green eyes narrowed harshly and she gritted her teeth, "I realized there was a bigger cause."

Meanwhile, Dick had managed to roll out of the smoke. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see M'gann holding her throat, the heat from the flames sucking the life out of her. Conner was still kneeling beside her and Nightwing shouted, "Superboy! Get Miss Martian back to the ship!"

Conner glanced up only a moment, but didn't need to be told twice. He scooped the Martian into his arms and made a sprint for the bioship. Dick's domino eyes then found Artemis who was currently shooting arrows at Arsenal, and Wally who was duking it out with Kori.

So that left him and Jason.

Dick could barely make out Jason's form through the flames, seeing the younger lining up his launcher with the target across the street from their building. Immediately, Nightwing jumped into a hard sprint, armor heating up when he dove through the flames and slammed his body into Jason, just as he pulled the trigger.

The rocket launcher went haywire, firing the rocket just feet below its intended target.

Shit.

The two fell to a lower rooftop. It wasn't a long fall, but Jason managed to maneuver them so that he fell on top of his brother, knocking the air out of the elder at impact. Dick gasped as Jason's fingers wrapped tightly around his throat and found the man inches from his face, seething, "That took fucking months of recon for me to set into place, Dickie. Months."

Dick flipped Hood over, causing his throat to be released. He immediately sucked in the precious oxygen, pushing himself to his feet and rubbing his throat gingerly. He only had a moment to recover before Jason was swinging a blade in his direction, causing Nightwing to jump back.

It was a quick slice, and Dick's reaction had been fast as well, but not fast enough. He felt the sting of the blade across his chest, though he knew it wasn't deep enough to cause severe damage. Still, it stung like a motherfo.

Nightwing kicked upward, knocking the blade from Jason's hand before grabbing the younger's wrist and pinning him down after kicking his knee out from under him. Jason shouted in rage at the apprehension, squirming and yanking in an attempt to break free.

"That's enough!" Nightwing shouted, causing Jason to stop, breathing heavily.

Jason's chest rose and fell with force and Dick almost cringed when a wide smile fell on the younger's face. Jason ordered vehemently, "Kill me. I know you want to. You could crush my trachea right now, no problem. I'd slowly suffocate and you'd never have to worry about me coming after the kid again. So do it."

Dick would be lying if he said it wasn't tempting. After what Jason had done to Tim, he couldn't believe how many murderous thoughts had crossed his mind. But, he knew he couldn't. He couldn't cross that line, never.

Suddenly, mission control lit up in Dick's ear with Barbara's voice shouting, "Nightwing! Don't you dare!"

Dick shut his eyes tightly, turning his head to the side in contemplation. However, it was only a moment when he found himself being yanked off of Jason suddenly, sliding across the pebbles of the rooftop.

Dick looked up to see Kori and Arsenal assisting Jason to his feet. Dick didn't have much time to say anything before both males were grabbing onto Kori and flying away. Before they disappeared completely though, Jason called, "Watch you're back, Dickie! Cause you've pissed me off and now you're gonna regret it!"

Artemis and Wally jumped down to where Dick was and Artemis helped him sit up. Wally kneeled in front of him, asking, "You ok?"

"No," Dick whispered. "I think we just screwed up majorly."

They had awoken a sleeping beast.

* * *

Tim startled awake when he heard shouting.

Not the kind of shouting that terrifies someone, more the kind that annoys someone. Especially him. Because everything in him was aching and his ribs were still shattered to pieces, yet the other inhabitants of the manor had the idea to shout and fight with each other in the middle of the night. Tim looked at his clock beside the bed, unable to make out any of the words being said in the floor below him.

1:06 A.M.

Tim sighed, pushing himself into a sitting position. He winced, his chest pinching uncomfortably as he did so and every muscle within him begged him to lie back down. He had spent so long in bed, coming in and out of sedations that he had nearly forgotten what it was like to actually move.

His motions were slow, standing from the bed and using the wall as a support to exit his bedroom. He slid down the hall, moving closer and closer to the shouting that was both angry and unnerving because it was only coming from one person. The responses to the shouting were low and clinical, leading Tim to believe his theory was correct.

Dick and Bruce were arguing. Again.

Which was nothing new, but Tim always eavesdropped on such occasions. Mostly because it was always a way to gather information that was usually excluded when a child was nearby to hear because they knew it would only be a matter of time before the other rookies on the team knew about it also.

A few moments later, Tim found himself descending the stairs and turning to the right, peering through the doorway into the lounge. Bruce stood in front of the fireplace, his back to Dick while Dick stood behind him with his fists clenched and his shoulders tight.

Tim heard Bruce say in a low, harsh voice, "You should have contacted me."

Tim flinched when Dick threw his hands up and shouted back, "There was no time! We needed to corner him!"

"But, you didn't corner him," Bruce said, matter-of-factly. "He got away and now he has an incentive to be even more destructive than he already is."

Tim didn't need to be told who they were talking about.

Jason.

Dick bit the inside of his cheek and growled, "You know, Ollie hid information too and I don't see you getting all pissy with him."

"Oliver will be taken care of, right now this is a family matter," Bruce sliced.

Dick laughed, almost sadistically, "Well, I'm glad you're finally acknowledging that. Bruce, he's threatening to take Tim and make him his Robin; he's out of his mind."

The boy gripped the doorframe at the statement, his knuckles turning white….What the hell?

"That's a false threat," Bruce sounded so damn clinical it was making Tim sway on his feet.

Dick shook his head, "Still, if he goes anywhere near Timmy again I'm going to kill him."

"You're not."

"Try me."

Just when Tim thought his knees were going to give out from under him, he felt a gentle hand fall on his shoulder from behind. Tim cringed away, turning hurriedly and causing the world to spin so much he fell back into the doorframe, hitting the ground less than gracefully. Tim grunted in pain, fire shooting into his spine before disappearing just as soon as it had come under the many meds he had been given over the past few days.

"Master Timothy!" Alfred exclaimed, kneeling down in front of him. "What on Earth are you doing out of bed, my dear boy?"

Tim swallowed thickly, looking over to see Bruce and Dick had stopped their conversation to turn their attention to him. His stomach turned cold and he looked at Alfred before whispering, "I heard shouting. I was worried."

Tim heard foot steps towards him and looked up just in time to see Dick crouch to his level along with the old butler. Dick smiled, but it looked so forced he knew that the man was embarrassed about acting so rash in front of the younger without even knowing he was there. Tim looked back and forth between his brother and adoptive father before he felt Dick's hand on his arm.

"Don't worry about it, Timmy. Let's go to bed."

Tim shot once last glance towards Bruce who only nodded at him slightly. Tim nodded hurriedly, allowing Dick to help him to his feet and lead him back towards the stairs. The elder assisted him in climbing them and in a blur of blackness, Tim found himself crawling back under his blankets, this time with a foreign person in his bed with him.

Dick settled beneath the blankets as well, sighing deeply as he threw an arm over the smaller's shoulder. Tim swallowed thickly, staring at the darkness of his brother's throat in the room. His body hurt, and he wanted nothing more than to sleep and to sleep forever.

He felt Dick tighten his wrapped arm before saying, "Sleep, Kiddo."

Tim took a shaky breath, unable to release a thought of the overhead conversation from his head.

" _Bruce, he's threatening to take Tim and make him his Robin."_

"Dick?" Tim whispered.

"Yeah?" Dick responded, voice becoming groggy with sleep.

Tim shut his eyes tightly, feeling his shoulders begin to tremble. Thirteen. Thirteen years old and scared to death of what was coming. Something bad was coming. Something sinister.

"Please, don't let him hurt me again," Tim all but whimpered into the unrelenting darkness.

Dick's eyes widened and he felt his chest constrict. He tightened his hold on the child even more, careful not to hurt his current wounds. Dick's promise was quiet, yet so stern Tim had no choice to believe it because it was the equivalent to an order on the field.

"Never."

* * *

The vase shattered into the wall.

Jason was breathing heavily after throwing the object. One of many that had slammed against that wall tonight, and not the last. His fist being one of them, but when it began to sting so painfully, to keep ramming it into the brick, he resorted to breaking the pre-set furniture instead. Roy looked up from where he was sitting at the dining table and Kori simply watched, sitting on the floor in the kitchen.

"That's not ours," Roy sighed for the umpteenth time that night, knowing he'd be the one to end up paying for the damages to the apartment.

Jason shot a fury filled stare in the red head's direction, growling, "Does it look like a give a fuck?"

Roy held up his hands in surrender, replying, "No, no. It's just I don't want to have to pay extra because you're throwing a little temper tantrum."

Jason took one threatening step forward, causing Roy to dive out of his chair and scurry across the kitchen, taking a seat beside Kori on the floor. Jason rolled his eyes at the action, moving to sit in the now empty chair. He groaned, "Damn Golden-Boy had to come and screw everything up. Just like he always does."

"I don't recall him being so aggressive before," Kori whispered under her breath.

Roy scoffed, "Oh honey, a lot has changed since you two have rolled in the sheets."

Kori looked at him with glowing green eyes and he scurried away from her as well, taking refuge on the far side of the kitchen from his other two comrades. Kori stood, shooting a starbolt in his direction, only to miss and hit the cabinet beside his head, blowing the wood to pieces. Kori then proceeded to stomp from the room, Jason staring at her back as she went out and Roy gripping his chest.

"You're paying for that, Harper," Jason shot, pointing at the cabinet. "You pissed her off."

Roy's shoulders slumped in defeat. He just couldn't win with these people.

Jason crossed his arms over his chest, continuing to pout, "Months of recon, down the fucking drain."

"We could always just wing it," Roy suggested.

Jason looked at him, annoyed, "Winging it gets people beaten with crowbars and blown up. We're not winging it, dumbass."

Roy raised an eyebrow, sitting up straight on the counter before asking, "Ok, so what do you expect us to do, Jay?"

That's when an unsettling smirk formed on the other's face, Jason leaning back in his chair with a stare of satisfaction at his friend. Roy's eyes widened with concern and Jason hummed, "Well, first of all, I need some matches and gasoline."

"We're burning down the nest."


	8. The Nest

AN: Helloooooo, my God it has been a long time. I'm sorry for that. I'm starting college and life has been some kind of hell the past several months. But, here is chapter eight. Again, I'm sorry, but I do hope you guys enjoy it! Please review and let me know what you think about this big threat and all that jazz! :)

Chapter Eight

" _The Nest"_

" _As long as you behave yourself, Timothy, there won't be an issue."_

" _I know, Mom. I'll behave."_

" _You had better. This is a very important meeting for your father and I and we can't afford you to mess it up."_

" _Yes ma'am."_

Tim flinched awake, eyes opening and his body going rigid. His mother's voice was ringing in his head, the sound of the dead woman's lips sending chills down his spine. He felt rather nauseous, just as his younger self had been when he heard that conversation in person. Not that it had been a scary conversation, he had them fairly often with his parents. It was just that every time they came into existence he managed to muck something up.

He shifted on the bed, looking over where Dick had slept the night before. Sure enough, the bed on that side was a mess, but his brother was nowhere to be found. Sighing, Tim pushed himself up on his elbows, glancing around the room until he focused on a tray on the table beside his bed.

There was a note…

Tim took it between his fingers, ignoring the food as he saw Alfred's writing scribbled onto the page. For such a neat man, his handwriting needed a real makeover.

 _Master Timothy,_

 _I ran out for a moment to get some groceries and to run some errands. I've left your breakfast on your bedside table and there is lunch in the microwave for later. I will return around dinner. Please remember to take your painkillers, I've left them on the tray as well._

 _Sincerely, Alfred_

Tim grinned and whispered, "Always so formal, Alfie."

The teen set aside the note, grabbing the painkillers from the tray before popping them in his mouth and chasing them down with orange juice. He was glad for them really, the pain returning to his ribs and the rest of his body. Once it was down, he took a bite of one of the waffles and laid back down on his bed, wanting to wait for the meds to kick in before he did much moving.

From the sound of it, he was alone in the manor and that made him somewhat relieved. They were finally allowing him to stay unsupervised after the accident. Not that he didn't appreciate their help, it was just a bit smothering at times to constantly have people looking out for him as if he was something broken.

Which he was broken. In all terms of the word he was very broken. But, at this point…Well, it was questionable whether or not he had a right to be a bat. He had gotten himself captured by Jason. He had done that. He had screwed that up. He had distracted Dick from his job. He had done a lot of stupid things.

It wasn't long before Tim felt the numbness of the painkiller begin to rest into his bones and he started slipping back into sleep. He had been sleeping so much, it just seemed he wanted more and more of it as of late. His body was healing of course, and this was one of the ways it did it.

Still.

His mind drifted and he was in a world of colors and flashes of pictures in his mind. A dream that wasn't a dream, because really, he wasn't asleep. He knew he wasn't. He could still hear the world outside. He could hear birds chirping and he could smell the smoke…

He could smell smoke.

What the…

Tim's eyes snapped open with that realization and he wondered a moment through his haze how long he had been sleeping. He sniffed hard into the air, his nose filling with what he had thought it was.

Burning.

Something had to be burning.

His mind thought for a moment maybe he had been sleeping longer than he assumed and possibly Alfred was cooking something and had left it on the stove for too long. But, that theory was immediately diminished.

Alfred never burned food.

Tim slowly crawled from the bed, holding himself up against the wall like he had done the night before when he had heard Bruce and Dick's loud arguing. He made his way to the door slowly before yanking it open, immediately beginning to cough from the flood of smoke that filled his lungs.

Damn it.

Tim didn't have time to think as he immediately went into autopilot. Get out of the house. It was something they had been taught in elementary school, though he had been caught in many fires as Robin, he wasn't Robin right now. Right now he was Tim and he was hurt and his ribs weren't allowing him to sprint and be the hero.

He needed to get out of the smoke.

Tim hurried as quickly as he could down the hall, keeping himself on the wall as he did so. When he made it to the large staircase, he found the first floor to be even more dense with the smoke. His body coughed, causing his chest to ache with pain as his broken and shattered ribs shift uncomfortably in his flesh.

He had to get out.

But, he tripped.

Tim was sent sprawling when he missed one of the steps in the middle of the staircase. To his surprise, the falls didn't hurt too badly. In fact, it made it easier to crawl, but instead of going to the front door, he immediately headed to the study.

He crawled his way to the familiar room before opening the bookcase that led down to the cave. He stumbled down those stairs on his hands and knees as well before he made it to the ground floor of the cave, coughing to catch his breath. The cave was clear of smoke, however, he could still smell it through his charred nose and clothing.

The first thing Tim processed was the fact that there were several empty containers of gasoline littering the floor…

The next thing Tim processed was that he wasn't alone.

Standing several feet away from him were three people. One was a woman; whom Tim knew to be Starfire from many pictures of Dick's former days with the Titans. The other…Roy? But, not Roy. He wasn't as built as the Roy Tim knew and immediately he realized this Roy had to be Original Roy.

And then…Jason. Unmasked. Standing there, with a smirk on his face. Jason Todd.

Tim's mind was swimming as Jason approached him, causing the boy to slide away from the elder on his bottom. Tim stared up with wide blue eyes as memories of the night of the explosion tore into his head and clouded his thought processes.

" _Don't panic, Tim. Assess the situation. Figure a way out."_

Bruce's voice from his early days as Robin filtered in, but it was useless. He couldn't think. There was no considering. There was no going over a plan of escape. This was here and now, and the guy who had almost murdered him was coming towards him with animal like steps and Tim wanted to scream.

So scream he did.

"Get the hell back!" Tim shouted and Jason actually looked slightly surprised by the outburst. Tim stumbled to his feet, moving backward towards the stairs that he knew he had no chance of fleeing up. He held out a hand and continued, "Get away!"

Jason _chuckled_ and Tim couldn't help but think he was facing a psycho. The man put a hand on his chest and glanced back at his friends before saying, "Wow, kid. I'm offended. Am I really so scary?"

"I'm not afraid of you," Tim ground out, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Jason tilted his head and pulled his gun from the holster before pointing it at Tim. Tim had to fight down the urge to move backward away from him. However, he stood his ground. The night before came to mind. The moment he had asked Dick to make sure Jason didn't get to him. But, there was no Dick here and Jason was burning down the manor. Burning down his _home._

Tim lunged.

Without thinking like he should, he grabbed the barrel of the gun, causing it to go off beside his ear and silence the world for a moment. The moment of resistance was short lived as Jason took advantage of Tim's frail state and grabbed him around the throat, slamming him into the rock ground. Tim groaned as pain rattled into his body and up his back, bringing tears to his eyes as Jason squeezed his throat.

Jason wasn't impressed by the stupidity of the move. All he could think was the kid was tiny. Too tiny to be a Robin. Too tiny to be a teenager. Too _young to die._

And then the thought was gone and Jason was squeezing Tim's neck harder.

Tim choked out, "You're burning it."

"To the fucking ground," Jason seethed.

Tim could hear the building above begin to creak and shake and his eyes filled with anger rather than fear and shock. He croaked past the hand on his neck, "It was our home!"

"It was a mausoleum," Jason hissed, lifting Tim slightly from the floor by his throat.

Tim then found himself being dragged to his feet, an arm wrapping itself tightly around his middle as he was pulled towards the exit of the cave where a motor bike was located. Tim looked between Jason and the other two occupants of the room hurriedly, his eyes widening in realization.

He was going with them.

"Torch the rest," Jason order behind himself as they moved away and Roy turned towards the desk and computer, beginning to pour gasoline over the top. Tim immediately began to struggle in the iron hold, clawing desperately at the flesh on Jason's arm.

"No!" Tim shouted. "You can't!"

"Shut up," Jason snapped, shoving Tim onto the motorbike before sitting behind him, keeping a restraining arm on the kid's body. "I dare you to fall off, kid."

And then they were going.

The cold air hit Tim's face like a ton a bricks and the forest surrounding the exit of the cave whirled past like paint spilled on concrete. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to think of something to do to stop the motorbike. But, at the speed they were going, the chances of him crashing it and either of them surviving was slim to none, especially with his own body still in the condition it was in.

Jason drove like an insane person.

Tim wasn't surprised.

They pulled down several alley ways before they stopped under one fire escape in particular. Tim was forced off of the bike then, and pushed up onto one of the ladders. His bones ached with the climb until they stopped on the fourth story floor and he was shoved into a window that was propped open.

Tim stumbled into the dark apartment and caught himself on a couch in order to get himself steady. He kept his back turned to Jason, blue eyes scanning the room as he listened to the elder fight in order to shut the window behind them.

"Alright kid," Jason said, turning from where he had been working on the window. "Let's get to work."

Before he could explain however, Tim was grabbing a lamp from the end table beside the couch. He turned suddenly, throwing the object as Jason's head and causing the man to duck in surprise. Tim ran towards the kitchen, ignoring the curses that followed as he dove behind the island in the middle of the room.

"Alright kid," Jason's voice growled. " _You're_ paying for that one."

Tim peered over the counter top, grabbing a fork that was sitting alone. He then fell back down behind his cover as Jason entered the kitchen, his footsteps slowly inching towards Tim…

As soon as Jason's leg came around the island, Tim dug the fork into the man's shin. Jason cried out in pain and as Tim moved to get away, he was grabbed tightly by his ebony hair. Tim shouted, but was silenced almost instantly when a fist collided with his mouth twice.

He tasted blood, his lip opening in a gush of red. He held his hand over the wound, but Jason made no further assault as he plucked the fork from his shin.

Tim sat on the floor silently holding his mouth and trying to stop the world from spinning. He felt completely unwell and he wanted nothing more than to go to sleep and wake up in a manor that hadn't been burned to the ground.

"Alright," Jason sounded like he was doing his damn best to stay calm. "Are you done?"

Tim slowly looked up through his bangs, nervous to make eye contact. Jason reached down before lifting Tim and setting him to sit on top of the counter. It reminded Tim of when Alfred would patch him up after patrols in the kitchen rather than the batcave because Bruce would want to work alone on his findings for the night.

Jason's eyes bore into Tim's own as Tim wiped the rest of the blood from his busted and swollen lip. Tim jumped when Jason broke the eye contact, shaking his head. He was chuckling again, which filled Tim with even more fear.

"You put up a good fight for someone who was just in an explosion."

Tim gulped, shifting slightly before he questioned softly, "Are you going to kill me?"

"Maybe," Jason shrugged, ruffling Tim's hair slightly, putting Tim in an even more uneasy mood. He began to tremble as Jason moved away and began to make a pot of coffee nearby.

"I-I don't…"

"You don't what?" Jason turned and looked at Tim who was watching with a pale look on his face. In fact, the entire color of his skin had turned stark white. Jason's eyebrows furrowed and Tim's mouth shut, his pupils beginning to grow and shrink.

"I don't want to die, Jason."

Jason rolled his eyes, "No thirteen-year-old _wants_ to die."

Tim said nothing in return and Jason grabbed a nearby rag, putting it over the bleeding wound on his shin. He grumbled under his breath, "If I get an infection from this, that'll be your head, kid."

Tim didn't seem to notice the threat and instead whispered, "You burned down the manor."

Jason nodded, "Yes, I burned down the manor. You were there. I was there. Fun times."

"Why?" Tim insisted.

"Because Dickie pissed me off," Jason snapped, throwing down the rag. "What better way to get back at him than burn down his nest?"

Tim looked away, biting down hard on his lip. Guilt had formed in his belly. Maybe if he hadn't been such a baby about his injuries and not taken the pain medicine, he wouldn't have slept through Jason and the others catching the manor on fire. Maybe he wouldn't have gotten dragged here.

Maybe. It was all maybes but it was all better.

"Backlash," Tim growled, anger suddenly bubbling up inside of him.

Jason looked at him curiously, "What?"

Tim repeated, this time a little louder…

"Backlash, Jason. One of the most important things to consider when making a drastic move. Backlash."

* * *

It was silent between Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne.

They were seated in one of the many meeting rooms of Wayne Tech, a quiet sitting between the two of them. Clark's face was stoic as always while Bruce held one of contempt and frustration against the other man.

Bruce was the first to speak…

"I don't like having meetings outside of our suits."

Clark chuckled, truly sounding amused, "Yet you had no trouble meeting me as civilians when it came to coaching me about Conner those years ago."

"That was different," Bruce huffed. "We were talking about you being a better father. Right now you're talking about a potential threat to the world and about how the "end" is going to begin in my city."

"Well," Clark sighed. "Considering you don't exactly welcome people to your cave and how the meeting the other day went so poorly…I figured this would be the best way to discuss the issue with you."

Bruce narrowed his eyes, "Have you spoken to Oliver about his hiding of information?"

Clark shook his head, "No, and don't change the subject."

Bruce folded his hands together and explained, "Jason Todd is not capable of starting a war. He has his connections underground. He controls some of Black Mask's territory. But, in the end that's the drug war. Not a complete, full out, destroying civilization as we know it, war. Not what Bart is describing."

"So you think the boy is lying then?" Clark hummed.

"I think he doesn't have his facts straight," Bruce corrected.

Suddenly, without warning, the door to the office flew open to show one of Bruce's secretaries. Her face was flushed and yet pale as the same time as she spoke hurriedly…

"Mr. Wayne…It's your home…It's on fire."

* * *

Dick was seated in the mountain on the kitchen counter. On the opposite counter sat Barbara while both Conner and M'gann leaned against them. Artemis and Wally had taken to sitting on the floor, after M'gann swore up and down she had just done some cleaning and that it was perfectly safe.

Artemis sighed quietly, glancing into the living room where Bart and Jaime were watching television. She muttered, "Well, last night sucked."

M'gann shrugged optimistically, "Well…I mean at least we stopped them from killing Black Mask."

"We didn't apprehend them though," Conner grunted angrily. "I can't believe Roy and Ollie didn't tell us about the Original Roy and Starfire."

Dick glanced up at Barbara who was staring at him at the mention of Kori's name. His shoulders tensed and he wondered silently if Kori had even really recognized them in the fight. Barbara held eye contact with him as she said in a cold voice, "Some people are just no good."

Dick narrowed his eyes.

She continued, "Doesn't mean we should kill them for it."

The others glanced at each other and Dick sat up a bit straighter, looking into the red head's eyes behind his sunglasses.

Dick spoke firmly, "Sometimes there's an exception."

"Never," Barbara hissed. "Not when it comes to that."

"Um, are we still talking about who I think we're talking about?" Wally asked. "Cause things are getting vague."

Artemis elbowed him, causing him to grunt loudly.

Dick finally broke eye contact with the other and cleared his throat, "We did the best we could do. And Megan is right; we saved Black Mask, which was the true objective. Capturing t-these…These Outlaws or whatever they are will have to be saved for another day."

"Optimistic for a bat," Artemis grinned.

Dick returned the smile, though his was a bit weary, "What can I say? I have my moments."

"Nightwing!" Bart's voice suddenly called from the living room.

Dick's eyebrows furrowed behind his glasses and he jumped off the counter, moving into the living room with the others behind him. Bart turned the television screen up, showing a newscast from Gotham.

Wayne Manor…Was on fire.

The woman on the television began to speak in a monotone voice, "This is Vicki Vale reporting from Gotham City. Behind me, you can see that the historic Wayne Manor is burning to the ground. No word on the Wayne family and if the members are safe. Firefighters have been battling the flames for over half an hour now, trying to get things under control."

"Holy shit," Wally whispered from behind Dick.

Dick rushed out hurriedly, Barbara following close behind.

Jaime looked around with a confused expression, asking, "Am I the only one lost right now?"

* * *

Both Bruce and Clark exited Bruce's vehicle at Wayne Manor. Though Bruce had insisted Clark not come, that it was a civilian matter, the meta-human had refused ten-fold to stay behind and allow Bruce to go alone, much to the Bat's dismay.

Both approached where Alfred stood behind the line that the firefighters had made around the perimeter of the mansion in order to keep people at a safe distance. The elderly man turned around hurriedly as Bruce approached, a concerned expression on his face.

"Where's Tim?" Bruce asked, keeping his tone steady.

Alfred's looked at a loss, and on the borderline of becoming distraught…

"Master Bruce…I have yet to see him emerge."

Bruce felt his heart slam into his chest suddenly and he was reminded of weeks ago when he had gotten the call from Barbara that Tim had been hurt. He remembered the day he had found Jason in the rubble of the warehouse…

It all hit him at once.

Just as a firefighter was walking past, Bruce grabbed him by the arm to stop him. He asked steadily, "Has anyone been found inside of the home?"

"No," The firefighter responded calmly, though his face looked grim. He obviously recognized Bruce. "We have some men inside the manor, but the east wing is nearly engulfed."

"My word," Alfred whispered, putting a hand on his chest.

Tim's room…It was on the east wing.

Bruce allowed the firefighter to walk away before turning his attention to Clark. He said quietly, "Can you see anything?"

Clark seemed to understand that the man was referring to his x-ray vision. Clark looked towards the mansion, peering his eyes into the flames of the home as he scanned the house.

"No," Clark responded. "I don't see anyone inside except for the firefighters."

"Bruce!"

Bruce looked over, seeing Dick hurriedly approaching with Barbara not far behind him. His eyes were wide with terror and Bruce had to fight down the urge to order one of the firefighters to get his eldest off the premises.

Dick wasn't going to handle this well. Bruce already knew.

The first thing Dick asked when he approached was exactly what Bruce had expected…

"Where is he?"

Bruce held out a hand in a calming manner before saying, "Dick listen to-"

Dick interrupted, shouting, "Where is he!?"

"Master Richard," Alfred tried this time, stepping forward as well. "Please, upsetting yourself in this situation any further won't be of any help."

Dick bit down hard into the inside of his cheek, his eyes finding Bruce's. He managed to ground out past the panic, "Bruce, where is he? Where's my brother?"

Bruce spoke firmly…

"We're not sure."

Dick lost it…

"Don't use that voice!" Dick shouted, jabbing a finger into Bruce's chest. "Don't use that clinical voice that you use on victims when you're telling them something has happened to someone they care about! Don't use that voice! Tim is your kid!"

Bruce grabbed a hold of Dick's arm before snapping, "Calm down."

Dick opened his mouth to continue his rampage, only to be interrupted as Clark said, "Bruce…I feel as if he's not in there."

Barbara, who had been silent, finally croaked, "What do you mean?"

"Well," Clark began, running a hand through his hair. "A fire has to be very…hot, to incinerate a body. I would be able to see one."

"So he's not in there?" Dick asked, his voice hopeful.

Clark nodded, "I don't believe he is."

Before they could say more, a different firefighter approached, holding out his hand for Bruce to shake. He spoke quickly, "Hello Mr. Wayne, I'm Fire Chief Levine. Do you know if anyone else would be in your home at the moment?"

Bruce took the hand and shook it before explaining, "Well…We thought my youngest child would be home, but we believe he wasn't."

"Yes sir," Chief Levine replied. "From what we can tell, there wasn't anyone else in the home. We just wanted to check with you and be sure."

He paused a moment before going on, "Sir, we have reason to believe your home was purposefully set ablaze. Our men are trained to look out for the signs of arson and we'd like to conduct an investigation."

"I'm going to have to decline," Bruce replied. "I'll get a private team on it and have them send you the paperwork."

The firefighter attempted to insist, but Bruce ended the conversation rather quickly. As soon as the man had walked away, Bruce heard Dick growl, "I know who did it."

Barbara grabbed his arm tightly, "You don't _know._ "

"May I inquire just who you're thinking of, Master Richard?" Alfred questioned.

"Jason," Dick spat the name out like poison in his mouth. "Jason Todd."


End file.
